Friday, February 8, 2008

The Spiritual Cost of Busyness

Well, I almost forgot to write a blog today, since I was so busy... which made it seem like a good day to reflect on a favorite topic of mine: the spiritual cost of being too busy.

I think it's part of what the gospel of Matthew is getting at in the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-9). It's a weird parable, but one of the interesting details is that some of the initial guests were simply too busy to show up for the party -- one had to tend to his farm, another to his business.

The spiritual problem with being too busy is deeper than not having time for explicitly religious activities (like prayer, meditation, service, fellowship, and worship). There's an abundance to life that we can't enjoy when we exhaust ourselves in the daily grind. I worry about this becoming a problem for kids at younger and younger ages, with over-scheduled lives and not nearly enough time to just be.

It's not that all the things that fill our lives aren't good things; but I feel my soul get weary along with my mind and body when there are just too many things.

It's also hard because a lot of things about modern U.S. culture tell us that our worth is determined by the things that we do, our accomplishments. Christian faith tells a different story, in which we are valued for who we are: beloved children of God. It is good to sit and rest awhile with that awareness.

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