Practicing Sabbath in an Age of Busyness
Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath." Mark 2:27-28 NRSV
Series: Practicing Sabbath in an Age of Busyness
Devotional: 1 of 4
Busyness has become our new normal.
Being busy makes us feel important, but fighting hard to keep margin in our schedules is often portrayed as laziness. Without even trying, the flow of our lives naturally moves towards busyness. But it requires intentionality to swing the pendulum back towards margin - it's like trying to push a large boulder uphill.
By most accounts, our generation is the most overcommitted in history. Work, side hustles, kids' activities, hobbies, multiple small groups at Church, serving in our local communities - when you add it all up, you end up with a calendar overflowing with commitments as we chase after meaning and purpose.
1 Kings 20:40 NRSV says, "While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." The king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it." Commenting on this passage, Pastor and Author Kevin DeYoung wrote, "I realize 1 Kings 20 is not trying to tackle the problem of busyness, but the line in verse 40 strikes me as a perfect description for our age. We are here and there and everywhere. We are distracted. We are preoccupied. We can't focus on the task in front of us. We don't follow through. We don't keep our commitments. We are so busy with a million pursuits that we don't even notice the most important things slipping away."
If we are going to make real progress towards restoring healthy rhythms to our lives, we need to consider the why and the what behind our current busyness. Why have we become so comfortable with our busyness? When asked how we are doing, why do we often respond, "Busy, but good?" And what are the contributing factors going on below the surface of our lives that drive us deeper down the rabbit hole of busyness?
In this series, we will consider three lies deeply woven into the fabric of today's culture - lies that directly attack our identity in Christ and significantly contribute to our current state of busyness. Additionally, we will also explore how God might want to use practicing the Sabbath to help us resist our default tendency toward busyness.
Friend, as you go, begin to observe the impact of busyness on your life as a follower of Jesus. For today, don't try to fix what you see or diagnose what is happening. Just allow the Holy Spirit to help you become aware of the impact of busyness on your mind, body, and spirit.
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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