This summer our small group at church is reading a book together entitled, “Crazy Busy” by Kevin Deyoung. Appropriate? Yes! This season is very full for our family. We are entering the heat of the move. Our to-do lists are growing faster than we are checking things off. Please pray for perseverance, time management and priorities through this season. Also, please continue to pray that we can finish well here in Spokane. Pray for wisdom!
In his first two chapters, Kevin Deyoung describes busyness in a way that probably anyone living in America can relate to. He also addresses three “Dangers to Avoid” that we would like to share with you.
Busyness can ruin our joy. Kevin talks about planning in extra margin because “when our lives are frantic and frenzied, we are more prone to anxiety, resentment impatience and irritability”. Simple, yet so hard to put into practice!
Busyness can rob our hearts. In the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20, there are three unsuccessful soils. The third is almost ready to produce fruit when the thorns come and choke it out. Two of those thorns in our lives are the cares of the world and the desire for other things. The cares of the world may seem small, but there are many and they can overwhelm our lives. They breed anxiety and stress. And the desire for other things goes beyond the initial desire, because they will continue to steal away time and money once we have acquired them.
Busyness can cover up the rot in our souls. “The greatest danger with busyness is that there may be greater dangers you never have time to consider.” Deyoung gives some excellent practical questions to diagnose a busy heart. “What does it say about me that I’m frequently overwhelmed? What do I need to learn about myself? What biblical promises am I not believing? What divine commands am I ignoring that I should obey? What self-imposed commands am I obeying that I should ignore?”
And a final quote from the end of the chapter: “Busyness does not mean you are a faithful or fruitful Christian, it only means you are busy, just like everyone else. And like everyone else, your joy, your heart, and your soul are in danger. We need the Word of God to set us free. We need biblical wisdom to set us straight. What we need is the Great Physician to heal our overscheduled souls. If only we could make time for an appointment.”
We are thankful to be pondering these dangers in such a crazy season. Sometimes we can just choose to say no, but other times, it’s simply a season and we must learn to be aware of the dangers and set a guard upon our hearts through that time. Please pray with us that we can stand fast in our joy through a stressful time, guard our hearts from the cares and stresses of the world, and have eyes to diagnose the conditions of our hearts. Thank you for praying with us!
A snapshot of some ways you can pray:
In his first two chapters, Kevin Deyoung describes busyness in a way that probably anyone living in America can relate to. He also addresses three “Dangers to Avoid” that we would like to share with you.
Busyness can ruin our joy. Kevin talks about planning in extra margin because “when our lives are frantic and frenzied, we are more prone to anxiety, resentment impatience and irritability”. Simple, yet so hard to put into practice!
Busyness can rob our hearts. In the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20, there are three unsuccessful soils. The third is almost ready to produce fruit when the thorns come and choke it out. Two of those thorns in our lives are the cares of the world and the desire for other things. The cares of the world may seem small, but there are many and they can overwhelm our lives. They breed anxiety and stress. And the desire for other things goes beyond the initial desire, because they will continue to steal away time and money once we have acquired them.
Busyness can cover up the rot in our souls. “The greatest danger with busyness is that there may be greater dangers you never have time to consider.” Deyoung gives some excellent practical questions to diagnose a busy heart. “What does it say about me that I’m frequently overwhelmed? What do I need to learn about myself? What biblical promises am I not believing? What divine commands am I ignoring that I should obey? What self-imposed commands am I obeying that I should ignore?”
And a final quote from the end of the chapter: “Busyness does not mean you are a faithful or fruitful Christian, it only means you are busy, just like everyone else. And like everyone else, your joy, your heart, and your soul are in danger. We need the Word of God to set us free. We need biblical wisdom to set us straight. What we need is the Great Physician to heal our overscheduled souls. If only we could make time for an appointment.”
We are thankful to be pondering these dangers in such a crazy season. Sometimes we can just choose to say no, but other times, it’s simply a season and we must learn to be aware of the dangers and set a guard upon our hearts through that time. Please pray with us that we can stand fast in our joy through a stressful time, guard our hearts from the cares and stresses of the world, and have eyes to diagnose the conditions of our hearts. Thank you for praying with us!
A snapshot of some ways you can pray:
- Pray for perseverance, time management and priorities through this season.
- Pray that we shepherd our kids well as they struggle through all the transitions.
- Pray for wisdom!
- Please continue to pray that we finish well here in Spokane.
- Pray that we can guard our hearts from the “dangers of busyness” (That we can stand fast in our joy through this stressful time, guard our hearts from the cares and stresses of the world, and have eyes to diagnose the conditions of our hearts).
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