Busy, busy, busy…

Pastor and author, Bill Hybels likened the hyper-busyness of our modern day lives to being a contestant in one of those shopping sprees where you get to make a mad dash up and down the aisles of a store filling your cart with as much free stuff as you can in fifteen minutes.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, but instead of being thrilled about it your stomach’s upset by the thousands of items lining the shelves from floor to ceiling, aisle after aisle. You haven’t thought it through. You’re unprepared. Where do you begin? It’s too much! Now the manager is about to give the signal to begin… in your heart you feel sick.  You’re winging it, and you know it.  You’re about to waste a once-in-a-life-time opportunity!

Hybels said this is a picture of many of us. We’re like that frustrated shopper facing the shelves lined from floor to ceiling with countless things to do begging for our time. We’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of worthwhile activities available to us, all wrapped in brightly colored packages just waiting to be claimed… The problem is that we have an infinite number of opportunities but only so much time. Busyness is robbing us and making us sick.

Tyranny

In the Parable of the Soils, Jesus described this problem as the “thorny ground” that chokes the good things God wants to plant in our lives. I believe the biggest threat to our health and well-being today is hyper-busyness – theovercrowded life. Modern living has placed us all under the tyranny of insane schedules and obligations that threaten to choke-off and ruin the quality of your lives.

Busyness is the enemy of our souls. It endangers our lives, not just physically and emotionally, but spiritually.  Many of you are struggling with insane schedules. You’re like circus juggler on a thin high wire, frantically trying to keep five balls orbiting above his head while precariously seated on a unicycle. We can’t continue to live this way and expect to be healthy, satisfied people that please God. Something has to be done about our overscheduled, over-crowded lives.

Soul care

I think the answer is slowing down our busyness and learning how to take better care of our souls. “Impossible”, you say. “Wishful thinking … can’t happen in this city.” Well we’re gonna take a stab at it. At least we’ll put it on our radar screens and start talking about it. It’s a start… No it’s more than a start. I believe God wants us to flourish as city-saints and this will be a big step forward.

So next week we’re beginning a new sermon series called,“Spiritual Survival Skills For Urban Living” (or how to develop a city spirituality). We’ll tackle topics like:

• Taking the Bible seriously in a skeptical world
• Solitude, silence and prayer in a crowded world
• Worship in a self-centered world
• Practicing generosity and service in a selfish world.

Come join us.
Mike T

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