For the few of you who aren't mortally wounded that I used the word 'damn', this life-reality is burdening me greatly. Hordes of people are dying from their life circumstances, but feel unable to act and achieve a different reality.
They, we…are all too busy.
I'm sick of everyone being 'busy', myself included. It's disease, much like obesity, that we have inflicted upon ourselves. And it's robbing us (again, me too) of the longings of our heart.
And it's the most socially acceptable disease of them all. Bottom line, being busy gives us status. Having free time means we aren't important or successful. That's just the real perspective of our culture.
And it IS true, we ARE busy. Because we fill, or allow to be filled, every minute of our existence.
I know of absolutely NO ONE who has any free time. Nobody. I know people who are single, married, zero kids and 12 kids. Self-employed, traditionally employed and unemployed. Good health, bad health. Rich and poor. Who did I leave out?
And everybody is wanting for better, lacking peace and fulfillment, and taking on a victim or status role of "I'm so busy cause I'm so unfortunate", or "I'm busy cause I'm so damn important to the world."
Honestly, where did our faith go? I'm father to seven kids. I 'lead' or at least have influence over a core couple thousand folks (10k on the fringes). Guess what? If I get hit by a truck tomorrow and disappear, THEY WILL ALL SURVIVE. I'm not their savior. I may be being used, but my God is a big God who can accomplish His will without me. I'm an available tool. Worthy for sure! But I pull my pants on like everyone else and at best am one of many pawns in a big story that will happen regardless.
My only chance in even being used…is being available.
Being busy and 'so important' is a disease of our culture, nothing more. Nobody is a victim, and no one is that stinkin' important. Can we just get honest?
- I am married.
- I have a growing business.
- I have seven children ranging in age from 1 to 15 years old.
- I have a big house with six bedrooms and 5 potties and 5.6 acres.
- I have 3 vehicles.
- I'm involved in my church and community.
- I own another house that we rent.
- I am NOT debt free or making so much money I can just spend at leisure (i.e. gross profit vs net profit!), though I'm not deprived of anything.
- I have a growing audience of people I have influence over. Interviews, classes. By the world's perspective, I'm 'important.'
- I don't just have a book I want to write, but that people are ASKING me to write.
- I get testimonials giving me more credit than most pastors receive.
I can make a heck of a case for being busy. For "I can't" and "I have to." But it would be a lie.
Give me a break. There are people dying of starvation. My God states I must lead my kids in knowing Him. And I washed my car. Where is the Biblical or governmental dictate that 'thou shalt have a clean car?!' I spent time on that so I look better in the church parking lot and I don't get dirt on my clean clothes. That's it. It's not wrong, but it's sure as heck not necessary.
There are hordes of people with more on their plate, more in their lives, giving more value to mankind in massive ways, that have more time than I usually admit to.
We simply fill our time because we believe and accept that we must. There is no one reading here who doesn't participate in unnecessary activities.
And you know what…it's OK! It's OK for me to waste some time. I honestly believe that Jesus Christ, during his three years of core ministry, spent some time chillin' out and shooting the breeze. Yes, the Savior of mankind who had to save us all. He laughed, drank wine, enjoyed this creation of earth, and had to call his dandy tribe of disciples to get away and rest and recuperate and rejuvenate. Can you imagine? "We have three years to save the world, it's all on us, we can't rest, we're BUSY!"
Can we just check ourselves and call a spade a spade?
Call me. Email me. If I say "OH, I can't" or "OH wow, sorry but I have to…" you can call me a liar. I can do whatever I please. And I don't HAVE to do...much of what I do. It's a choice. And to save what's most important and the right priority, it's a good decision if I don't do many things, to preserve what's best.
Ever notice that folks living in the projects have cable TV, cell phones, microwaves, cars and probably newer clothes than I do? That's not judging or a lack of compassion, it's just truth. We afford time and money for what we value and choose.
Sure…there are victims. Single mothers left by their husbands. Widows. Orphans. And they deserve our help.
For the other 99.99% of us, we have few real "have tos" or relevant "can'ts" that keep us from being available. We just have an overwhelming list of what we believe we SHOULD do. We watch plenty of TV and movies. We surf the news online and are well aware of our sports teams and show's status. We know plenty of gossip. We read nonfiction books and interesting magazines and publications. We attend shows and concerts. We read the paper. We putter around the house on relatively unimportant things. We spend an inordinant amount of time working for and maintaining a level of western, social acceptance. We invest in things that feed our ego and social standings and aren't serving mankind in the least.
WE ARE NOT VICTIMS.
WE ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT.
We make time for what we choose.
And most of our longings are within our reach. We just have to decide what we truly want is worth reaching for, more than what we normally reach for.
What do you know you really need? Righteously need?! Meaning, purpose, servitude, inspiration, legacy?
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Or…maybe it's just me. Next time you see me irritable and angry and complaining that "I can't" or "I have to", feel free to sucker punch me back to the truth.
