Are You too Busy?

Yesterday I mentioned a song that was regularly sung on the PTL Club show when my wife and I watched it back in the eighties.  I have to say, that no matter what the popular opinion was (or still might be) concerning Jim and Tammy Bakker, their ministry blessed and encouraged us for years.  I truly believe that two major initiators to the problems in their ministry was overwork and exhaustion (mixed in with some bad council… It is interesting that I recently read that in July of 1996 a Federal Jury ruled that PTL was not selling securities by offering lifetime partnerships in Heritage USA.  His case was then overturned and the Judge was dismissed from the case. – See: http://jimbakkershow.com/about-us/about-jim/ for more info).  Not long before all the negative reports began to emerge, the ministry was involved in an overwhelming multitude of building projects and outreaches.  There were times that you could see the exhaustion and stress on Jim’s face during the daily program.  I am sure that all that pressure helped in the making of incorrect decisions for the ministry.

These thoughts on PTL caused me to remember a sermon that a mentor of mine taught concerning the subject of being too busy.  I can vividly picture him dramatically running up and down the platform pretending like someone was pushing him as he stated that the devil will keep us so busy that it was like having him behind you, pushing you hurriedly along in your daily life!  His point was that we can get so busy that we lose focus on the things that are important to us.  When we get that busy, we get tired and weak and open ourselves up to making bad decisions, being attacked with sickness, and missing out on our personal time with God.

This is something that we all have to stay very aware of in our daily schedules.  One thing that I have learned through experience is to never confess that “I am busy!”  This was one way that I would always respond when people asked how I was doing.  What I discovered was that the more I confessed it, the busier I got!  I have also seen this to be true in other people’s lives.  I think being busy makes us feel important, or like we are accomplishing things in life.  When I finally analyzed my schedule, I realized that I was too busy doing a lot of unimportant activities that took me away from God, my family and from ministering to others in need.

Now I attempt to regularly review and adjust my schedule where needed, in order to maximize my effectiveness in my daily life.  As I believe I have mentioned before, this is also something that my wife initiated with our children’s activities as they were growing up.  Sometimes these decisions are tough, but the long term rewards are worth the commitment.

Do you sometimes feel like you are being pushed along the path of your life?  Maybe its time to put on the brakes, take a look at your schedule (and what you’re confessing) and make some adjustments.  Think about what you might be missing!  Come to think about it… when’s the last time you really experienced the peace of God in your life? Hummm….

Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting (to not miss) today?”