How many times
have you asked a person, “How are things going?” It is not unusual for them to
respond something like this, “Life’s good, but we are super busy.” Sometimes we
assume that this comment is reserved for those who are adults and are juggling
a lot of responsibilities related to their profession, family, or community
involvement. I have discovered that busyness in our culture is
intergenerational. It is a malady that strikes the young as well as those who
are older. Busyness is no respecter of persons!
In my life I have the privilege to
intersect with multiple generations. I have grandchildren who are in a constant
state of running from one event to another. I look at the calendar pasted on
the door of their refrigerator and wonder how they could squeeze one more event
into their packed life – but they do. I serve on a college campus mentoring
students and they seem to be in perpetual motion. They are balancing course
requirements, working to pay tuition, socializing with a coed that has caught
their eye, engaging in internships or service projects, performing
responsibilities like eating and laundry (if not close to home), and of course,
allowing time for recreation i.e. computer games and social media – always time
for that! Then we come to adults and a cartoon character comes to mind of a
frazzled individual trying to address all the things that pile into their life
like earning a living, caring for multiple generations of family members,
connecting and ministering to their mates, fulfilling house projects, engaging
in some sort of hobby (if possible), and of course being the chauffer, cook,
and family referee. Even folks in retirement communities are stricken with the
burden of busyness. The issues are very different but no less demanding. Now
the focus is upon doctor’s appointments, family involvements, caring for
physical demands like physical therapy and related health issues, along with a
host of other demands. Have you ever tried to schedule time with a senior citizen?
Lots of luck!
It seems apparent that we live frantic
lives. A century ago Henry David Thoreau concluded that, “The mass of men lead
lives of quiet desperation.” What would he say about the days in which you and
I live? In the Harvard Business Review there was an interesting article
entitled, “Beware a Culture of Busyness” by Adam Waytz (March–April 2023). In
it he writes that Nora Rosendahl, the chief operating officer of the
performance coaching firm Hintsa, conducted a small social experiment by
documenting answers to the question “How are you?” She discovered during a week,
nearly eight out of 10 people said, “Busy.” Social scientists have a title for
this condition tagged “time poverty.” How interesting that living in a culture
enamored with time saving gadgets and strategies, we are nonetheless having
trouble with managing our time. Why? Waytz concludes that our culture values
busyness, adding, “Busyness has become a status symbol.”
While people often applaud people who are
busy and assume that they must be significant, not everyone is impressed. A
busy husband does not impress a neglected wife. Overlooked children do not
necessarily flourish in their harried home life. Friends are not impressed that
people are too busy to connect with them. You get the idea; life needs to be
more than busy. Lest you think that this busyness pandemic is something new,
people throughout the centuries have battled the barrenness of busyness.
Two individuals in the life of Christ display
this. In Luke 10:38-42 we see the interaction two sisters have with Jesus. Martha
was the busy one and, “was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing” (40).
Busyness often captures our attention and creates distortions in life. Martha
focused upon physical food and not spiritual food for her soul. In contrast, “Her
sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught” (39). She
was busy, but in a unique way and with different matters. Her priority was her soul,
not her belly or the belly of Jesus. She was feasting upon the nourishing words
that Jesus was serving up to feed her hungry heart. When a busy individual
encounters someone who seems to be a slacker, resentment often results. Martha
complains to Jesus, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just
sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me” (40). Martha
essentially wants Mary’s priorities and agenda to be altered to become like
hers.
How does Jesus resolve the issue? Instead of adjusting Mary’s activities, he applauds her singular activity of focusing upon what Jesus was saying and tells Martha she needed to avoid the bareness of her busyness. If Jesus would comment on our lives that reflect lives of “quiet desperation” what might he say? How would he evaluate what we are doing? Does our busyness direct us in the right direction or become a distraction focused upon things that really do not matter and lead us to frustration? Who are we most like, Mary or Martha? Let’s not be obsessed with the busyness of misplaced priorities, but with the best thing – “really only one thing worth being concerned about” (42). Jesus countered the busy life of Martha by offering a better alternative. Perhaps we need to readjust our lives in a similar way.
