The last couple of weeks all I hear people talking about is being busy. I ask high school students about coming to Bible study but they say, “Can’t, I’m busy.” I send an e-mail to an old friend asking her if she’d have time to catch up but she can’t for a couple of weeks because–”Christa, you have no idea how busy I am!” I call my sister but she can’t answer the phone because it’s one of her busy days. It’s such a horrible feeling when people are too busy for you. But then last week I told someone I was busy too.

Last week a high school girl called me and wanted to get together for coffee to “just talk.” I glanced at my calendar and “to do” list and had to say, “I’m pretty busy this weekend, maybe next week?” My husband is a high school youth pastor and I serve right along with him in the ministry. Now, I know that I can’t do everything, but in this instance I had let some things get in the way of my biggest ministry outside of my home which is to our high school students. She seemed to understand but I could tell she was disappointed. It made me sad that I had missed out on that opportunity to encourage her by just having time for her to sit and listen and discuss life with her.

Since then I have been feeling convicted about how I didn’t plan my week better. I keep thinking of that Veggie Tales song on the video about the good Samaritan–”I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy…Much much too busy for you!” I know that there are many legitimate things that we have on schedules that take up our time, but it has been heavy on my heart–the need for us to make God and His people more of a priority.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
Matthew 6:33

Today I was thinking about things people seek after in a normal day–for younger people its school, friendships, fun, experiences, approval, good grades, and some kind of sport or other activity. For older people its work, getting a raise, earning respect of peers, relationships, money, comfort, health, prestige, pleasure, meaning or fulfillment. What would it look like for someone to seek after God and righteousness?

I know how we can think we are busy for God doing things in our churches–serving in some ministry, doing nursery, teaching a class, being an Awana leader, having a small group in their home. This is all done on top of a demanding full-time job or keeping the home in order and children in line. I am afraid that we get too busy doing things for God that we aren’t really seeking Him. We can get so busy in programs that we miss the personal relationship that we have with our Lord.

Right now I am prayerfully considering my schedule and all the different things I am involved in. There are a couple of things that just seem to have a blinking little red light next to them. I know that they push everything over the top. They make things seem hectic and stressful and I know I need to simplify my schedule by taking myself from some things so that I can give myself fully to the Lord and the simple things He has put before me to do.

Being busy isn’t all bad. I looked up what the word “busy” means and the first two definitions were: “engaged in action” and “being in use.” These can be very good things if we are working heartily unto the Lord! If we are being faithful to work heartily as to the Lord in the day-to-day positions we are in–student, employee, homemaker/mother–we will be seeking Him and righteousness first in these roles. For the Christian there should not be starting and stopping points. We do not start our day with time in the Word and then go about our day apart from Him. If we are seeking God first we will seek Him first in all that we do all day by doing it as to Him.

I remember a little object lesson from a Sunday school teacher in high school. She was teaching us about making God a priority and had a big jar on her table. She showed us a bag of rice and said, “Let’s say the rice is all the things you need to get done, your schedule.” Then she pulled some whole walnuts out of a bag and said, “Let’s say these represent specific ways that you need to seek God.” She began to pour the rice into the jar showing how we usually approach our days by putting self first. Then she tried to cram the walnuts in–only two or three fit. She emptied the jar and started over by putting the walnuts in first and pouring the rice in over them. The visual might seem cheesy but her point is a good one–we need to make sure we have the first things first. When we live this way all the other things we have to do in life seem so trivial in comparison. I am convinced that the only thing worth being busy about is seeking the Lord and righteousness.