We live in a busy world. We often complain, “I’m too busy,” or “I’m fighting fires here,” or “I’ll get to it when I have a minute to breathe.”
But what does that really mean?
There is no doubt that our calendars are full, but what are they really full of? The honest answer is that they are often full of selfish pursuits. Occasionally, things get out of hand and we have to deal with emergencies, but typically, your time is spent on selfish endeavors with no purpose and no lasting benefit.
How does that work when we have 12 hour shifts to deal with, and bills piling up, and pressures from other people? Well, here’s another honest truth. We are the designers of our own life, agents of the Lord. If we don’t like the way it’s going, we have the power to change it.
We get so caught up in life that we forget to control it, and it ends up controlling us.
I have known people who thrive on being busy. It’s the only way they feel important. Some people just like to be in the middle of the action. They like to be the star. These people are generally very talented and sought after by ordinary folks. Even though they have chosen this life, and love what they’re doing, they still like to complain about their limited time.
“And now, my [daughters], I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.” (2 Ne. 2:14)
I challenge you to sit down and analyze your life right now. Are you acting, or are you being acted upon? You’ve been dealt a certain number of cards, talents, and gifts. Are you burying them? Working with them? Struggling with them? Forgetting about them? Feeling sorry, because you wish you had someone else’s pile? Happy, because you are using them well?
Our reaction to life has sometimes been described as a dance. Life does something to us and we naturally take a step alongside it. We let life lead us and we step into it without thought, without resistance, without any kind of plan or purpose.
The gospel teaches us to go to the dance, to get on the dance floor, and design our own dance according to what we know about God’s perfect dance. Music will be played, partners will come calling, but we can choose for ourselves how we want to sway.
Pres. Faust said, “My dear young friends, there is another great truth that you…must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don’t pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure.” (The Devil’s Throat).
I’m going to make a bold assumption: If you are too busy, you are probably not doing what you were born to do. And there will be a price to pay.
Elder Anderson said, “We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here.” (Beware the Evil Behind the Smiling Eyes).
Satan will do anything to keep us too busy to choose. Or he will trick us into choosing him. He watches us carefully. He knows our weaknesses.
Sometimes we just don’t know what to do. Sis. Beck suggests the question we should be asking. “Am I aligned with the Lord’s vision of me and what He needs me to become, and the roles and responsibilities He gave me in heaven that are not negotiable? Am I aligned with that, or am I trying to escape my duties?” Those are the kinds of things we need to understand. Our Heavenly Father loves His daughters, and because He loves us, and the reward at the end is so glorious, we do not get a pass from the responsibilities we were given. We cannot give them away. They are our sacred duties and we fulfill them under covenant.” (Sis. Beck’s talk).
Heavenly Father won’t flood us with overwhelming things to do. He will fill us with peace, so we know that what we are doing has eternal value.
How do you dance?
Painting: “The Singing Butler” by Jack Vettriano
I love this post…it is something that has been on my mind for a while: being busy, cutting things out, and fulfilling the measure of my, specific, creation…
You are bold when you say, “I’m going to make a bold assumption: If you are too busy, you are probably not doing what you were born to do. And there will be a price to pay.” but I think that it is good.
One thing that I’ve noticed – when I am “busy” on the Lord’s errand, and it is the right thing to do – even though it is a sacrifice, it is sanctifying. There are other times, when I’m busy with something that is good but it isn’t best these are the things that usually leave me feeling frustrated and frazzled. The Spirit doesn’t really sanctify what I’m doing – or consecrate it in a way that leaves me feeling refreshed despite the sacrifice.
Although I’m not the best with managing my time, I’m getting better, and trying to use the Spirit to guide my decisions.
I appreciate your thoughts. There’s “busy”, then there’s “busy”. The Lord certainly wants us to roll up our sleeves and sweat a little bit, but I love how you say it’s more sanctifying, than just busy. That’s it exactly. There is a purpose to our work, and our hearts are usually full of charity. Satan’s purposes are full of emptiness, and hearts tend to be self-serving.
I love your blog! You are clearly busy doing the work of the Lord with all of your ponderings.
Very insightful. Thanks for giving me pause and reflection on how I am spending the minutes and hours of my life.
Somewhere I have an essay about being BUSY, which the author says is Being Under Satan’s Yoke. I have to examine my life regularly to make sure I’m doing the eternally important work I’m here to do. There are so many distractions! Satan can’t get us to sin big time, so he distracts us with lots of little things, then we’re too busy to do the big important things. Thanks for the timely reminder. This helps me lots.