TRAPPED IN A BUBBLE

"Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 

Lately, I have been busy, and I mean that in all CAPS. BUSY.

As a matter of fact, I am typing today's post at 4am this morning because I've been busy. 

Although some days I indeed have deadlines to meet, most times, however, I find I am just busy because I simply don't know how to keep still. Even when I have some free time to rest, I am restless half the time, because I think to myself, hey you know, this is a good time to do this or that!

I also don't quite know how to do one thing at a time. If there's a badge out there for Chief multi-tasker, I deserve one. Although multi-tasking makes me check more things off my to-do, it has also affected my focus negatively. My attention span is at the lowest of lows. It is a real problem. 

Like me, most of us are caught in the busyness bubble, and we don't know it. We are entangled in a wave of activities (necessary and unnecessary), overworked and overstressed. The image I chose is really a representation of how my life feels most times. Blurred by activities. Each one honking at the same time to get my attention, drowning out the still small voice of my father, calling my attention to what is most important. 

My life is so crazy right now! How often do you say this or hear someone say it?

Now, I am not saying being hardworking, proactive, or a multi-tasker is wrong, but do you have time to sit still? Do you know how to be still, even for a moment? Think about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-41. Jesus did not condemn Martha for being service-oriented, but He pointed her attention to what is needful. The path Mary chose. Which is, taking time out to sit at the Master's feet. 

With how much I fuss over people and things in general, I see myself in Martha a lot. It's like a mirror image. 

My friend is coming over for a sleepover this weekend, and although she has told me, Vera, don't stress, I am just coming so we can spend time relaxing. I already have an assorted menu lined up to prepare while she's here. As I type this, I am thinking to myself, wow, such a Martha! I have subconsciously traded fellowship with my friend for busyness, even before she gets here. Sigh.

There is Idleness at one extreme and, there is busyness at the other extreme. For anyone like me, this is a gentle reminder to find that balance between service and fellowship. 

How do you put God first, or seek first the Kingdom of God, if you are seeking other things? The keyword is seeking. (Mathew 6:33)

How often do you hear from God if your mind and life is always busy? (I Kings 19:11-12)

Do you know when to withdraw from the noise and the activities, to choose the needful, like Mary did? Jesus, many times, had to separate himself from the crowd to have a quiet moment. He chose solitude. (Mark 6:30-32, Luke 5:16).

Is your service to God more like busyness rather than acts of service? Like Martha, do you find yourself lamenting, snapping and complaining while serving? (Matthew 10:40).

Are you caught up in a rat race with the rest of the world? (Romans 12:2)

The world may applaud us for barely having a moment to catch our breath, but at what cost? 

Let us learn together to resist the temptation of choosing busyness in place of fellowship and communion. 

Study Scriptures: Luke 10:38-41, Psalm 127:2, Ephesians 5:15-17, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 55:1-2, Proverbs 21:5, Haggai 1:5-9, Genesis 2:2. 

Recommended Read: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha Word By Joanna Weaver

Song of the Week: Not In A Hurry by United Pursuit.