“See you in a few!” “Can we meet later?” “Sorry, I'm busy today."
Our world is fast-paced and hard to stay on top of. Sometimes it feels as though we'll never catch up and most times we don't. We have things to do, people to see, and places to go. Young Christians today want to make a difference and follow Christ; however, we don't seem to have the time.
Life is chaotic.
We as students, mothers, friends, boyfriends, and people are surrounded by things that compete for our time. Due to this, we inadvertently allow Satan easy access to one of his favorite temptations – busyness.
Staying busy is not a sin. But it is a distraction if it causes us to lose sight of the Lord's calling in our lives. He is the One guiding us, and if we aren't careful we can miss the direction He's pointing us toward.
In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes the story of a demon that is training his nephew how to handle humans. In the letter, he writes, “Whatever their bodies do affects their souls. It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality, our best work is done by keeping things out…”
Satan doesn't have to do much to keep our minds off of the things of God. All he has to do is distract us from spending time with Him.
I've learned that an easy way to let Satan in is by the device we hold in our hands. That's right, our phones. There is an app for everything, and all of them are calling for our attention and time with every scroll of the screen and interrupting notification. But do we have time for everything?
Concerning adults and phone usage, Barna says, "What are they doing on their phone while they rub away the cobwebs of sleep? Most check their email (74 percent). Social media (48 percent), news (36 percent) and calendar organization (24 percent) also vie for their attention. Less than one in five (17 percent) are using a Bible or devotional app."
I am no exception to the rule; the first things I do in the morning are check my messages and aimlessly scroll through Facebook. We live in a world that is so concerned with what other people are saying or doing, that we forget to look inwardly at our hearts. Even in our stillest moments, we tend to be focused more on what other people are doing.
Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon, Snapchat are all at your disposal. You can talk to friends any way you please. However, if we aren't careful, we not only miss time with the people in front of us, we are destroying the inside of our heart.
Sometimes we have to take our minds off of the world and focus on the One who made it.
Media today is nothing like it was during more peaceful times. Instead, it is a continuous uproar. People are arguing, wars are raging, and opinions are unacceptable. The constant barrage of negativity can affect our outlook on daily life. In order to help strengthen our hearts and minds (and defeat busyness), we must look to our Maker and what He has done.
“He said, be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).
This verse is one of the hardest for me to follow because of two small words “be still.” The rest is pretty easy to grasp. I know that God is in control, I know He knows the plans for my life, I know He wants the best for me. But I have to be willing to take a break from the noise and be still.
In the stillness, we are able to see and clearly hear the Lord speak. That is one of the most refreshing things to do.
I recommend walking, reading, journaling, or listening to help you take a break and listen to God’s voice in the stillness.
But turn off your phone in these times. This needs to be a time for you to celebrate the relationship between yourself and your Savior. Enjoy time in His presence without having to worry about notifications popping up to distract you.
Learning to rest in His presence is a lot like building up strength to lift weights. Start slow, a little goes a long way. Take ten minutes to detach then increase the time as much as you need so you can love yourself and learn more about the Savior of the world.
Last May, I deleted Snapchat. Not just the app but also my whole Snapchat account. The first few days were miserable because I thought I needed to keep up with everyone's life. But as it progressed, I learned to spend more time with my family and loved ones. It was then that I realized there was more peace in seeing life through my own eyes than through the camera. I genuinely saw myself change for the better, leaving things and people behind that I did not need in my life.
Something as small as Snapchat can truly take your eyes off the prize. In a world serious about streaks, it's important to look at how many days you've spent with Jesus. It's also most important that you take time to look at your own soul how busyness is taking hold of your own life.
Our time with Jesus is important. Never be too busy for Him.
