Busyness

“Our model is the Jesus… of the workshop, the roads, the crowds the clamorous demands and surly oppositions, the lack of all peace and privacy, the interruptions. For this… is the Divine operating under human conditions.” – C.S. Lewis

I am continually astonished at God’s work in my life. More times that I can count, I have seen God show up in ways big and small – and I know there are times when I haven’t seen God at work and yet He was there. How great it is to know that He was, is, and will be at work revealing Himself! Coming across this quote from C.S. Lewis when I did is yet more evidence of this comforting truth, and it was such a wonderful, needed reminder of my humanity.

I had just been thinking about how ‘busy’ I felt. And how long I’ve felt that way. From the end of last semester and all the ‘busyness’ from finals, to winter break and all the ‘busyness’ of the holidays and doing things at home I can’t do while at school, to the ‘busyness’ of a new semester with new classes and a new schedule - I was feeling just a bit ‘busy,’ to say the least. I started counting and making lists of all the things that had been filling my days, and I began to feel uneasy. It’s not to say that the things on my list were things I didn’t want there – Bible studies, homework for classes I am really enjoying, time with friends, etc. Yet the uneasiness remained. I was confused as to why I was feeling that way – am I stuck in a rut that will pass in time, has something changed that I have yet to recognize, am I missing something? In the middle of my questioning, uneasy, confused state, I came across C.S. Lewis’ quote.

Sometimes, all too often, I forget that Jesus lived. Breathed. Walked. Talked. Jesus was human, and while I cannot begin to explain/comprehend His two-in-one God/man identity, the fact remains. I spent some time just reading the Gospels – and between every parable, every teaching, every miracle, every scolding of His disciples, every dispute with the Pharisees, the narrative of Jesus’ humanity is found. He traveled from town to town. He stood on the mountainside. He walked through the valley. He saw. He heard. He felt. He slept. He wept. This is Jesus – in all of His divine humanity. He was God, and yet He lived as man. And a ‘busy’ man at that. I could point out accounts of His ‘busyness’ specifically, but I would end up quoting close to the entirety of the four Gospels. Bottom line – Jesus’ life was ‘busy.’

But was Jesus ‘busyness’ really relatable to mine? Jesus was busy healing the sick and lame, preaching to His followers, teaching His disciples, while I find myself busy with researching for a paper in my theology class or studying for an exam in my marketing class. Can I compare what I fill my day with to what Jesus did in His time on Earth? Busy as defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “full of activity; engaged in action.” The state of ‘being busy’ involves a state of action, movement, activity. This certainly seems to be an accurate description of Jesus being busy – it hardly seems there is a time when He is not engaged in one thing or another. Yet when I describe myself, am I correct in saying that I am “full of activity?” Some days I couldn’t agree more, and yet others I don’t find myself with such a filled schedule. Of course there are times when I am active and engaged in activity, but is it relatable to what should be my example, the pattern I desire to follow with all I am? What I found interesting was one description for ‘busyness’ I came across as being “lively or meaningless activity.” This gives the connotation that busyness is not necessarily a good thing – that the activity I say is keeping me busy may not be as meaningful as it should. Are the things that fill my day meaningful pursuits or are they meaningless activities? I think it is important to recognize that there are things that are meaningful that are not enjoyable – it can be so easy to procrastinate the meaningful activities I must complete simply because I do not desire the actual activity of doing them. But I find myself convicted of filling my time with the meaningless far more often than the meaningful.

While there is conviction to be pursuing the meaningful above the meaningless, I still struggle with the overwhelming sense of being busy in general. How can I seek comfort to my uneasy, confused feelings on managing the demands of my day? The lesson comes when we learn how Jesus dealt with His busyness – to let Him be the example in this part of our lives as we are called to emulate in every aspect of ourselves as Christians, His followers. Over and over again, Jesus takes Himself out of His busy situations to pray: “But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16); “In these days He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12); “And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23); “And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46); “Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray’” (Matthew 26:36). Prayer is routine, pattern, constant in the busy life Jesus lead. This was a practice noticed by the disciples: “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). What an example to follow – that in the midst of our busyness we would seek the calm, peace, our Savior. How important, vital this is: to seek and savor the peace of God through prayer in the midst of the chaos - and to let the calm supply an allowance to press on into the things in this life that are demanded of us.

In all of this discussion of busyness and seeking the Lord, I keep returning to the story of Mary and Martha and their behavior in Jesus’ presence. While Martha was caught in busyness and anxiety, Mary took the time to choose ‘the good portion.’ Mary remembered the importance of taking time at Jesus’ feet. She was following Jesus’ example. This life only promises to be filled with what C.S. Lewis described as “human conditions” of activity, work, tasks, busyness. Yet in all of that, let us choose to take time for seeking the Lord. Oh, that I may by the strength of my Savior remember to always choose ‘the good portion’ amidst the anxiety, troubles, and busyness!

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42