Are you busy? Or are you rushed?

After a few weeks of considering Bryan's story about margin, I'll admit I was convicted. But knowing I need to count the cost and make some tough choices is not the same as creating margin. Even after identifiying some things that need to go (or at least be greatly de-emphasized), I still find there may be a transition period before I am completely free of them. I think I will always be a busy guy. Hopefully wiser and somewhat more intentional, but can I be honest? I kinda like staying busy, just not white-knuckle, no margin, mad-all-the-time over-busy. God is a creator, designer, engineer, producer, builder, warrior. And I am made in His image, so maybe it isn't too surprising that there's something inside me that keeps me moving.

So how do I stay busy and still keep a healthy perspective? We're going to hear from someone next Friday who has been working his way through that. It's Steve Marshall, and you may recall he spoke to us a few months ago about a counter-intuitive decision he and his wife had made about taking time out for God. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Steve had moved his family into a house that was, to be fair, a "fixer-upper". In addition to taking his wife out of her dream home, the new place had a mold problem going on that had made most of the family physically ill. As Steve frantically spent 20-hour days trying to alleviate the situation, he found himself growing more distant from his wife, his children, and his God. The more urgent his striving, the more it felt like he was swimming in quicksand. Steve returns this week to provide an update on the impact of their decision to stop striving. I hope you will make plans to join us at the Lodge this Friday, February 2nd, at 6:15 AM to hear this next chapter in Steve's story.

Along that line, I was reminded this week of a thought from John Ortberg. In his book, Soul Keeping, there is a chapter titled The Soul needs Rest. On page 134, there is this differentiation between being busy (active and dependent on God) and being hurried (ruled by my over-committed, self-driven  schedule). It made sense to me. Maybe it will to you....

Difference between being busy and being hurried:
Busy                                               Hurried
A full schedule                            Preoccupied
Many activities                            Unable to be fully present
An outward condition                  An inner condition of the soul
Physically demanding                Spiritually draining
Reminds me I need God            Causes me to be unavailable to God

Heads up, eyes open men. See you Friday!