Going Slow with Dr. Low

Yesterday I was happy to read the following status update on my friend's Facebook page:

I'm not busy. Stop asking me if I'm busy. Stop telling me 'you must be busy'. I refuse to enter into the over-informed, mile-a-minute, breathless pace of this activity-obsessed world. I have time to pray. I have time to dream. I have time to rest. Join the movement. Slow down.

I was even more pleased because this friend is a pastor and quite often pastors and Christians are the worst for falling into the world's trap of being too busy and wanting to look productive and important.

There's nothing wrong with having a full, active and meaningful life - one may even call that abundance - but busyness for busyness-sake is nothing to strive for.  Or being busy because you're filling the expectations of others in the world or the church is nothing to brag about either.  The only thing that matters is that you are fulfilling what God asks of you each day and He will give you the time and energy to do so when it is His agenda.  But others' agendas can easily lead to burn-out, frustration, disorganization and a sense of running the rat race.

One of the biggest advantages of slowing down, even for a few minutes or hours, is it gives you the time and space to ask, "What does God want me to do and what do I enjoy doing?"  These questions can often lead to delightful answers as opposed to the usual questions we usually ask ourselves like, "What has to be done today and what do others need me to accomplish today?"  Sometimes the answers may even be the same but the energy or motive behind them can be life-changing.

Don't buy into the lie of busyness.  Jesus wasn't busy but His days were full of meaning and purpose.