Wisdom in Busyness

We were sitting in a remote village in Malawi talking to some of the area chiefs.  They were asking me questions about America.  They asked about our weather and the crops that we grow.  During the conversation Charles, our leader, began to share with them his experience in America.  It was fascinating to hear his interpretation of our culture.  He talked about how everyone in America keeps their shoes clean and shiny.  He then went on to explain why the people of America are so wealthy.  He told them we were wealthy because we work so hard.  We are always busy and have no down time.  He explained to them that in Malawi they have a lot of time to set around and do nothing, but in America every minute is scheduled. There is a lot of truth in what he is saying.  It isn’t necessarily why we have wealth but we are a busy people.  When we get a vacation we even schedule it to the minute with very little down time.

This conversation caused me to reflect on our busy culture.  We are busy but the truth is it is a curse of our society.  How much of our busy lives are used wisely?  We bounce from appointment to appointment from the moment we awake until we lay our heads on our pillows at nights.  We then think about all the time we wasted and the things we didn’t get accomplished.  Many will find themselves at the end of their life looking back at a life that was wasted with busyness.

We need to be wise stewards of our time.  Time is precious.  Are we walking as the wise or unwise?  Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Wisdom is found in God’s will.  As we plan our crazy life let us constantly be aware of what God’s will is for our life.  Busyness is not the problem.  The problem is when we are busy doing all the wrong things.  We may live in a fast pace society but sometimes it is God’s will for us to be still and know that he is God. (Psalm 46:10).