Never Too Busy

If you work, have a family or kids, or manage a household, I would guess that you're pretty busy these days. Almost everyone I know is up to their eyeballs in activities and commitments regarding work, church, family, activities for their kids, recreation, etc. with no end in sight. An article I was reading the other day cited a study that said most people's to-do lists leave them habitually overcommitted and overwhelmed. Perhaps even worse, respondents from the study said that their to-do lists often prevent them from being really present - meaning that when they are with the people and things that matter most, they're often multitasking or thinking about other things. Sound familiar? In fact, 44 percent say they are "really present" only half of the time and 37 percent say they are rarely present. Only 1 percent say they are in a position to be always present.

In Luke 10, Jesus told a parable of this danger of becoming too busy and having our priorities out of order. A certain Jewish man, while on his way to Jericho, was attacked by robbers and left to die by the road. A priest came by first and then a Levite. These men were religious leaders. Surely, they would take the time to show compassion and help the beaten man. But they had places to go, appointments to keep, perhaps even church work to do. So they went to the other side of the road and passed the man by. What would you do? What would I have done? Finally, a Samaritan man, who was despised by the Jews, came along. It says when he saw the beaten man, he took pity. He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on him, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn. Wherever the Samaritan man was going and whatever he had originally planned, it could wait because this man needed help.

It's easy to become so busy that we are oblivious to those in need. Sometimes we're so busy going from one thing to the next accomplishing "good things," that we are of no help to the people around us. God is at work in the lives of your neighbors, your co-workers, those that are wounded or less fortunate than you. Henry Blackaby says sometimes God may interrupt your day and ask you to join Him as He ministers to these people. If we become too busy to minister to those around us, we should ask God to reestablish our priorities so that we don't miss the opportunity to be Christlike, and stop and help others.

God bless,
Pastor Darren