The Danger of Busyness

Happy lent, friends.

Been a busy week. Ever notice that when God wants to get a point across to you that the same message comes in repetition? For me as of late, the topic of "busyness" continues to creep into my path on more than one occasion a day.

I recently was reading the latest "Relevant" magazine subscription and came across an article that was written by Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. In it, he quoted a missionary by the name of Jim Elliot who said,

"I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry and crowds... Satan is quite aware of the power of silence."

I was sitting at Starbucks when I read that and just thought, "yeah, point made, God. Point made." But the truth is, how hard is it to avoid all of the noise, hurry and crowds that we all come in contact with on a daily basis? I mean, the idea of "being still" is great. But, there are things that we HAVE to do, jobs that HAVE to get done and check lists we HAVE to complete.

So what is the secret? Wish I had the answer. I think it all boils down to one thing and one thing alone; practice.

I still consider myself to be a horrible runner. But you know what? I can run solid for 30 - 45 minutes. I remember when I started, however, my distance was 30 seconds. It was horrible. I remember thinking, "no WAY will I ever make a full mile!" But with some patience and practice, I made the mile and have gone well beyond.

Maybe the secret to being still is found in my lesson learned in running. Practice. What if, on a daily basis we stopped for a moment and just let silence enter in. In our car, in our home, in our thoughts. If you go back to scripture you find Jesus, time and time again sneaking off for some quiet time with his Father (Luke 5:16).

I like the approach Pastor Driscoll is taking in his life and, dare I say, I might strive for this in my own.

"I try and spend at least five short minutes an hour in silence, at least 30 minutes in uninterrupted silence each day, and a full day of silence once a month."

Not sure about you but silence is needed in MY life. And I have a feeling that if I allow the silence into my life, it might be found with the reassurance that I am not alone in the noise of the world. And THAT is something I need more than ever.

Grace and peace, my fellow journeyers!

Mark

The article posted the following. If you have the time, check it out...

the Bible has a great deal more to say about the benefits of purposeful silence including:

• hearing from God (1 Kings 19:11-13)
• waiting patiently (Lamentations 3:25 - 28)
• worshipping God (Habakkuk 2:20)
• knowing God better (Psalm 46:10
• praying effectively (Luke 5:16)