This drawing is confronting some fears and prejudices I have.
Firstly, I cannot be the only one who answers "I've just been so busy! So much going on!" when people ask "How are you?"
I say it with pride; I say it with confidence that I sound important. If I'm busy, that must mean I'm in demand, that must mean I am contributing to society in a meaningful way and being productive. That must mean I have value.
I have some thoughts about this whole 'busy' thing.
Thought 1: This is obvious, but clearly not obvious enough for me, so I'll spell it out in case you need this idea too:
Our worth is not centered upon our ability to contribute to society or work.
WOW that's a really hard sentence for me to grapple with. It's easy to say 'yeah yeah, we are all valuable no matter what, blah blah' But deep down, I base my worth on the THINGS I am able to do. If I had to describe a nightmare to you, it would be suddenly being unable to work, unable to DO things. I NEED that. I NEED to have that sense of busy, of completing things, of feeling good about myself. If that got taken away from me, I would have to get to know myself all over again, without worth coming from what I can do. That's a HUGE sign that I'm taking worth from the wrong things.
Thought 2: If BUSY is the first thing you say to people, let me ask you: Why is that? I know for me, the answer is that studying and working several gigs and jobs here and there means I have to coordinate my diary, and most people I work with are totally unaware of the other commitments I have. As a result, I drive literally all over the city I live in. I take gigs everywhere. I always have multiple projects on the go. This is why being busy happens, because I say yes to lots at once and madly attempt to please all the people I have said 'yes' to.
A thought popped into my head about this the other day. WHY am I like this? Who says I have to take on every single opportunity thrown my way? I am 100% in charge of my schedule and 100% responsible for when it gets out of control. I actually have an obligation to steward my time effectively and that means putting on my big girl pants and making time for rest and making allowances to sometimes say no. No one else will advocate for my time, that is my job. I am here to bring glory to God, and that includes being intelligent about how I spend my time (And maybe spending less time bingeing Stranger Things on Netflix might be useful......)
Time is a precious resource. It is to be used skilfully: to work, to achieve, but ultimately that isn't the point of it. How I spend my time reflects my maker, and running around in a busy-or-stressed-panic doesn't glorify Him, but neither does sitting on my hands doing nothing. What is on my plate is my choice and I can add the ingredients I want. Some of those must be quality time with loved ones, rest, and prioritising others.
I like Ephesians 5:15-17: "So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the times are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."
Let's be wise about the way we spend our days.
Lani