Busy

 

When I think back to the first ten years of our marriage, I feel overwhelmed. The best way to describe that time is chaotic. While my husband was running a business and commuting to a neighboring city over an hour away, I was finishing my education, raising our kids, and starting my career. We were constantly juggling our children between sitters and daycare. Looking back, it feels like we were always on the go—it was like a continuous cycle of "go, go, go."

Then, COVID-19 hit in 2020, and life really slowed down for us. Initially, we were so bored that we didn’t know how to fill our time, but I grew grateful for that slow period as it created space for me to cultivate my relationship with God, something I had long put off.

During my quiet moments of reading and prayer, I was deeply touched by the presence of Jesus. In the chaos of life, it felt like God paused time and invited me into a meaningful journey with Him that continues to enrich my life.

However, COVID didn't last long, and life spiraled back into its original steady "go" mode. My new real struggle became finding time in our busy daily schedule to retreat into solitude and reconnect with the quiet presence of Jesus. Every time I tried to get away, there was always something fighting for my attention and trying to distract me.

I was surprised to discover that it has always been the enemy's technique to keep us busy, preventing us from tuning in and paying attention to God. The classic Old Testament story of Moses leading God's people out of Egypt illustrates this well. God was on a mission to save the Israelites from bondage and guide them through the wilderness—a place of solitude where they could develop an intimate relationship with Him. 

The Bible tells us that when Moses began to call the people to freedom, Pharaoh became angry. He literally appointed taskmasters for the Israelites and ordered them to work harder than ever before, ensuring they were constantly busy and had no time to listen and pay attention to Moses.

‘Let labor be heavier on the men, and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God’s] lying words.’ (Ex. 5:9)

When God starts to call us into sweet fellowship with Him, the enemy implements a strategy to make us even busier and more distracted, attempting to hinder every ability to pursue after God. 

'If the Devil cannot make us bad, he'll make us busy' -Corrie ten Boom