BUSYNESS AND BUSY BODIES

 

Neither one of the above are good. Being too busy makes you miss out on lots in life. If you are unable to say no and constantly on the go then it can squeeze out important things. Someone told me once that an acronym for the word busy could be "Being Under Satan's Yoke." Ouch! Being too busy robs you of peace. God wants us to have peace. John 14:7 says "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Make wise choices to bring peace. Pray for the ability to have good time management skills. Do not take on every little thing that sounds good. Even for those who stay home you can get over committed and frazzled even with seemingly good things. Some busyness may be unpreventable when it comes to being in a high pressure job unless you make wise use of your breaks and insure you are getting out of office and walking or taking that coffee break. Leave when it is time to leave and do not become a workaholic. For one, if you are married, workaholism can hurt marriages if you are constantly feeling things can not get done if you do not stay and do them. What about your home?Now of course as a Christian you want to work heartily (Colossians 3:23) as they Lord says to work and not be lazy but you do not have to go overboard either. There is a fine line.

 

Now busybodies, that is another whole issue probably harder for women to combat than men just because of our nature. Women seem to like to 'know' things. That is probably why all the daytime talk shows are on and People magazine flies off the shelves. But as a Christian we really have to discipline ourselves to not be carried away or enticed by the things of the world that do not really matter. In 2 Timothy 3:6 there is a verse that talks about leading "silly women' astray. Now I am not sure exactly it applies here but I always feel women can tend to be more gullible so we have to be on our guard. Another name for a busy body is someone who sticks their nose where it does not belong or offers their opinion when it is not requested. Being nosey is not appealing to anyone and can be quite irritating. The new Facebook generation has opened up the door through the 'wall" to sometimes be overly curious into people's lives. This is an area that takes self control to not obsess over stuff on there.  There is a time to know things and a time to let things go and forget about it. Now there is a difference in showing concern for someone and asking questions about how their family is doing just to show interest and then prying into their life for every detail.

 

Patience comes into play on both the issues of busyness and busy bodies. Be patient and relax and try to not orchestrate your day into some sort of marathon. Above all make time to take care of your spiritual and physical self in your day for your over all well being. Patience in the human relation area would be waiting for God to do things and not always opening your mouth and spouting off. Proverbs 10:19 says "Don't talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow." Now that verse is a clear word picture.  Proverbs 15:23 says "A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word! "  If you are a parent of a married child for sure you may have an opinion about something but once they married you need to learn to let go and try to zip the lip. Give your concerns to God and then try to be patient and wait for the answer. Believe me it is not easy and takes discipline to accomplish. Sometimes speaking concerns can backfire and may take many weeks to heal and forgive. In Proverbs 18:21 it says "Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences. Men have died for saying the wrong thing!" How true is that? Proverbs 15:28 says that a "good man thinks before he speaks". Oh how we all could benefit from being patient and thinking before opening our mouths. Once those words are 'out there' they are hard to get back and the damage is done and misunderstandings start. Finally self control, which is one of the fruits of the spirit,(see Galatians 5:22-23) means to control what we say too. Proverbs 13:3 says "Self-control means controlling the tongue! A quick retort can ruin everything." When you feel like saying something or giving your "two cents" worth ask God if you really should and sit back and wait for his answer. Sometimes it is better to just not say anything.

 

PRAYER: Today father I need your help to control my tongue. When I feel a 'meddling spirit' coming upon me with whomever be it friends or family help me to stop and think about what I am about to do. Help me control the words that come out of my mouth. Also Lord help me today to say no to things that will over commit me and help me to focus on the tasks you have given me to do. I want to be guided by your spirit in all the things I say and do and give you the praise and glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.