It's not about Me! (Part I--Busyness)

Oh the hustle and bustle of American life. We’ve all been there—the “to-do’s,” the jobs, the relationships, the needs, the tasks, the hobbies. There’s something mysterious about the way they all just pile up. I have finally come to a point where I can openly admit that I tend to have a problem. A big problem. And its name is busyness.

As a full-fledged over-committer, I get to the point where I have to schedule nearly every second of my life in order to get through all that I try to fit into one day. I become my own micro-manager, and things better go according to plan. But sometimes that just doesn’t happen. In fact, it’s becoming more and more apparent to me that real life doesn’t actually conform to my schedule, nor does it submit to my micro-management. What happens in times such as these?

I have encountered this conflict more times than I’m comfortable admitting and the outcome is no pretty sight. Reflecting on these times of schedule strife, I have found a few common threads. When faced with a reality that does not align perfectly with my detailed schedule, I find myself having one of two responses. Either I have to run around (often literally) in a frenzy in order to keep or catch up OR I become absolutely overwhelmed by and inundated with stress, leading me to outlash or despair.

Regardless of the coping mechanism or exit strategy I choose, I have discovered a shocking bottom line—In moments of excessive busyness, my whole world becomes about my time, my schedule, my desires, what I need to get done. Absolutely everything in my own little universe becomes about ME.

In my own little ME world, I exhibit a few key characteristics. Namely, I become intolerant, short-tempered, impatient, irritable, lacking in gentleness, and lacking in compassion. Not a very desirable me at all. Isn’t that ironic? That the moments where I most intensely make my whole life for and about me are the same moments where I am furthest from the me I want to be. What in the world does this mean about life and living and doing and planning?

Evaluating this realization, I can only come up with one explanation. All I can say is that if living for my ME world which revolves around what I think needs to happen leads to such frenzy, stress, and self-destruction, then life must not actually be about me.

This is precisely the theme God keeps on laying on my heart. All of my doing, living, working, planning is actually not about me. The reason? When I make all of these things about myself, everything becomes about my glory. This does not work because I am not sovereign. It is not about me. It is not about my glory. It is about God. It is about His glory. What would my life look like if I actually made that exchange?

What if instead of so fervently seeking the promises and security of the world, I sought the plans, promises, and security found in God? “Seek thee first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you”(Matthew 6:33). I would unfailingly have all that I need, perfect provision, without the stress and battle involved in trying to secure it myself.

What if instead of pushing my agenda or reputation, I consulted God’s plans and sought to lift up His name? “He who is exalted shall be humbled and he who is humbled shall be exalted”(Matthew 23:12). In the end, God would rise me up with him to be “seated at high places” (Ephesians 2:6). The need to “fight my way” to the top would vanish.

I wonder what kind of key characteristics I would exhibit if I really did make my life a little less about my busy schedule and a little more about God. What would this release of control and self power leave me with? Here’s where I have to make another confession—I’ve experimented with this a bit. The results are astonishing. When I slow down, quit the micro-management, and give God space to move, not only to I have rest, joy, and security, but I find myself truly able to extend love, patience, and mercy to the people around me. I find myself becoming the me I want to be. The me I was made to be.

So I leave you with a challenge—to do a little experimenting yourself. In the hustle and bustle of your daily life (especially in the chaos of the holidays), try and see what happens if you loosen the reins on your schedule and task list and let God take the driver seat. See how you feel and who you become. My guess is that if you give up the fight (even just a little) to glorify your schedule and desires, you will find a glory that leads to a greater you because it is so much greater than you ever could be. And in that strange loss of personal power, you will feel more empowered than ever before.