Busyness as Usual

The biggest disease in North America is busyness. 

(Thomas Merton)

Twice in a few minutes and from two different people on the platform last Sunday

came the exhortation or prayer that we leave "the busyness of our lives aside

as we come to worship the Lord today". These words were delivered with a heavy sigh.

Apparently the deliverer himself or herself was weighed down under the burden of busyness

and assumed that it was so with all the other weary worshipers. 

I made note of it, I did!

My intention was to reflect upon the oddity of it--that it should be twice mentioned

and that it should so capture my attention (which I did).

Then this morning, our pastor referred to it again.

This time in regards to how it interferes with the progress in one's spiritual life. 

In between these two Sundays, 

Jon Bailey blogged about busyness titling his post with words from C.S. Lewis:

Only lazy people are busy.
I read that and a few other things.

So..............

Here's what I'm thinking...

If busyness is a disease as Merton says, an hour in the pew is probably not the cure.

If only lazy people are busy as Lewis stated, then it's time for many of us to 

take a long and hard look at ourselves and the choices we're making --

particularly those of us who profess belief and relationship with the Lord Jesus. 

 "Occupy till I come," the King James rendering

 of the master's instructions to his servants (Luke 19:13),

was NOT a directive to "Busyness as Usual".

Rather, I believe Jesus delivered the parable to elicit

action directed toward eternal goals,

focused attention and happy obedience to the Master's purposes and timing,

and an altogether other-worldly engagement of our time, energies and resources.
This yoke is easy.  This burden is light!
This kind of activity IS our spiritual worship and
not something to be cured of, repented of or apologized for.

This kind of activity is NOT "Busyness as Usual"!