Slow. Down.

bus·y

/ˈbizē/

adjective

1. having a great deal to do.

"he had been too busy to enjoy himself"

Notice the example that dictionary.com gives under the definition.

Most people seem to be wired to crave a busy schedule. Other people seem, by society's standards (of how busy you "need" to be), lazy when they have open space in their schedules.

Let me tell you why Jesus should be our example for a slow pace and why it's unhealthy to glorify busy-ness.

SPOILER ALERT--Jesus said no to sick people. Keep reading to learn how to set boundaries like He did.

I have been talking about this with the people closest to me for a while. Why do we as people pack our schedules so tight that the only rest we get is the (hopeful) 6 hours of sleep at night? (9 hours for me because I take care of my body lol)

In the past few months I have realized the importance of letting gaps seep into my life and not feeling guilty about it. When I decided to blog about this, my mom and one of my best friends separately talked about this issue with me in the following week. I like confirmation hehe

Firstly, let's talk about the sabbath.

As many people, churched and unchurched, may know, God created a sabbath day. He even demonstrated how it worked right after He created the entire universe. I told myself I wasn't going to use this example but it's just too good, I have to. My friend Dana sent me this excerpt from the book To Hell with the Hustle by Jefferson Bethke that blew my mind. (PS Click that link to get a copy!! Honestly we all need to read it...myself included. I didn't know it existed when I decided to write this.)

It essentially stated that God experienced work first and then rest, but when Adam was created, the FIRST thing he experienced was rest. That's the only way he could adequately do his job. It goes on to say that in THAT sense, we need to be like Adam. Fuel up (and avoid burnout!!!).

Sometimes it's impossible to be like God, no matter how hard we try.

That little example of how the sabbath works rewired how I view a sabbath and how badly humans need to prioritize it.

Secondly, let's talk about Jesus' life.

Jesus KNEW how to set boundaries. If you're anything like me, you tend to say yes to everyone asking for your time. To join this group, to help with this function, to meet with this person, to do this favor. For me, 2020 is going to be a year of not people pleasing. I will make a list of the things I say yes to and then be really picky about the other people and activities that come my way. Something that has been transformational at my time in counseling has been realizing that not letting myself get walked all over is not "mean," it's healthy. I don't want to be unhealthy and feel the need to disregard what I (not even need, but) WANT. Just because I love helping people and doing extravagant things for people doesn't mean that needs to be my life 24/7 when it's not out of the genuine kindness of my heart or when I'm feeling obligated to. Obligation is icky sometimes.

THAT WHOLE RANT ASIDE (and I hope someone got something from that--Don't stretch yourself too thin!!!), look at how Jesus did it.

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Mark 1:35-38

JESUS SAID NO TO PEOPLE?!! WHAAT! And people in NEED!

He knew how to set boundaries unapologetically.

He was fully man (as well as fully God) and knew He had those "limitations." I can't even begin to go into how that mortality and immortality ebbs and flows because I will probably never understand it enough to be able to explain. That's where faith comes in. Anyway, back on track now.

But, He VERY evidently lived out the Will of God. From waking til resting, He made sure that what He did aligned with what God wanted. To make sure He was doing that, He withdrew (by Himself) to pray. The key to not being too busy, I think, is to look at the will of God and prioritize your life (not PACK your life...) with that lens.

Wikipedia very quickly helped me find just a FEW examples of when He would withdraw to pray.

• "Regular time of withdrawal from the crowds (Luke 5:16)

• After healing people in the evening (Mark 1:35)

• Before walking on water (Matt 14:23, Mark 6:46, John 6:15)

• Before choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12)

• Before Peter's confession (Luke 9:18)"

Fuel up for the times you do say yes.

On that same track, let's talk about the speed that people back then moved.

Dana brought this up to me the other day as well, and just now I did some googling to find sources. A LOT of sources share this fact so I will just say, google the general concept if you want more information! haha

Almost everyone who lived in the first century moved at walking speed, which is about three miles per hour. Because think about it... there really weren't vehicles. I guess you could use a chariot if you were royalty?? I haven't really researched the transportation of the wealthy because, well, Jesus wasn't wealthy.

Side note, I was the kid who told people they were the spawn of Satan if they walked too slowly in the hallways. I naturally walk faster than a snail and other people don't I guess!?! But I gotta remember...

Jesus walked everywhere and probably didn't rush it. (If I was walking everywhere everyday I would probably preserve some energy and not overly exert myself. Fun fact, I hate walking.)

He didn't stampede in on a noble steed. He didn't have a car. Jesus didn't have a reason to go fast. He knew His purpose.

There's a blog post by Joel Lindsey that says "[Jesus] didn’t try to be in three places at once or cram 30 hours’ worth of activity into 12 hours of daylight. Consider that Jesus didn’t start his ministry till he was 30, and he didn’t kick it into high gear even when a little girl and a good friend would have avoided death had he picked up the pace a bit (Luke 8:40–56; John 11). Even when he used a form of transportation other than his feet, Jesus chose a colt not a thoroughbred (Mark 11:7). He accepted his limitations and lived life at a godly pace."

SO GOOD!

To sum up everything I just said...

Slow down.

Sabbath.

Say no like Jesus did.

When you're going slower it's easier to let God into your day to day. Otherwise it's so easy to hurry by without Him. Let Him go before you.

While it's easy to think that slowing down is lazy, remember... Jesus did it purposefully. God himself slowed down. Are you putting yourself higher than God due to your need for speed? Let yourself think about these things and pray about it. The Holy Spirit will help you out here if you let Him (as with anything).