I hear people say “I’m too busy”, “I’m stressed out”, and “Life is moving too fast”. I’ve said these things or something like it as well. In the past couple of years, I’ve had this nagging thought in my mind that it has more to do with us as individuals than it does with “Life”. Yesterday (1/22/06) Pastor Sears mentioned something in his message that hit me. It was a small part but it reinforced some of these things I have been rolling around in my brain. He was talking about how the president has the responsibility of running the whole country yet he still makes (not “finds”) the time to read his Bible, pray, exercise, and have a relationship with his wife and daughters. Why can’t I do all those things? My wondering took me to the Focus on the Family website (family.org) and I found an article by Greg Hartman that spoke to this topic. Allow me to share a few thoughts from the article “De-Complicating Our Lives”. If you want to read it in its entirety you can check out this link - http://www.family.org/married/growth/a0028874.cfm

The Fear Factor
One of the reasons we fill our lives with “stuff” is fear. That fear will manifest itself in different areas. We are terrified of being alone. That could stem from, when faced with the prospect of having the distractions missing, we fear having to fill our time talking to our spouse and/or children. Even worse, we fear having to be alone with our thoughts. Self-contemplation is truly a lost art, and it sometimes brings the “still, small voice” of the Lord pointing out areas in our life that are not in compliance with His will. I must admit, I can’t stand a quite house. If I am alone at home I usually have the TV on. Fortunately for me having a five-year-old and a three-year-old helps keep the house lively!

Another fear not addressed in Mr. Hartman’s article is the fear of being unwanted. If we can fill our lives with enough stuff then we at least have the illusion of being needed. Our society seems to associate busyness with success and importance. Importance is certainly a relative term. Is it more profitable to be important to a family of four or an office of thirty? That’s a tough thought to be alone with isn’t it?

Some Suggestions
Mr. Hartman offers some suggestions in his article to deal with the busyness of life.

1. Nuke The Guilt. God judges us by our relationships (most importantly with Him) not by our activity
2. Kill Your Telephone. I confess this is hard for me. A ringing phone must be answered in my mind. At times, unplug the phone at home or let the machine pick it up. The home is your refuge. By all means turn off the cell phone too.
3. Read Books. We are overrun with images that feed us information without letting our minds think. Mr. Hartman refers to this as mental “junk food”. What an appropriate description. This is a hard one for me, but if you have children, read to them as well. You get to kill two birds with one stone. You and your children get to have some down time with your thoughts and imagination.
4. Create Something. Modern conveniences are great and certainly are better than the 19 th century way of doing things. However, taking the time to create something no matter how great or small is important. Many of us work in the information age and leave nothing tangible behind us.
5. Have Guests – Lots of Guests. Some people guard their private time so jealously that they become hermits. That may be due to the feeling of being “too busy”. Sharing a meal or playing games with people is what forges relationships. Our relationships to God and other people are the most valuable things we can cultivate.

Most of these thoughts are not original to me, but they sure did speak to my heart. Does life really need to be stuffed with as much “stuff” as we can fit in? I hate to admit it, but I waste more time just because the television happens to be on. Am I too busy or am I just afraid to be in a place where the still small voice of the Lord can speak?