Doing Nothing, Part II

Let's see (she said as she pondered "doing nothing"), I think I'll finish my blog from yesterday...

One of my little peeves is the phrase “I’m busy.” The phrase itself doesn’t bother me, because, let’s face it, we are all busy. What bothers me is the instances of when it is given as an excuse for not doing something you know you should be doing. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all used the “busy” card to not just explain, but to excuse ourselves out of doing something important or from doing something you know you shouldn’t avoid.

If something is really important, you usually find a way to do it. People don’t normally say things like “I was too busy to go to work”, “I was too busy to pick up my lottery winnings” or “I was too busy to watch the Rockets from my courtside seats.” However, I have heard comments like “I was too busy to visit my neighbor who’s been sick” (after you just heard about the shopping trip that occurred that same afternoon) or “I was too busy to go to church” (when you know they were really at an Astros game) or “I was too busy to help with the youth meeting (and they’ve shared that “their program” is on TV that night).

What does it really mean to do nothing? What does it mean to do nothing for others? What does it mean to focus on doing things that benefit yourself first and foremost?

I’m not talking about the “nothing” that we call “rest” or “recuperation.” I’m talking not talking about the “busy” that encompasses working hard to support one’s family or the act of giving your time in helping those who are less fortunate. And, I’m not here with the answer to those questions. I just submit to you the reality of how we humans, we busy, busy humans, too often surround ourselves with “busy work” that does absolutely “nothing” for the benefit of others or even, in many cases, for our own well being. We fall into the chasm of self-centeredness that allows our “busy-ness” to keep us from being the people that God created us to be.

We were created by God, the One who loves each of us unconditionally. We were created to reflect God’s love… to reflect it back to God and out to others around us. When “Busy” begins to crouch near my attitude and thoughts, I know that I have to keep “Busy” away from my vocabulary and refocus on stepping past the temptation to do nothing. But you know, “Nothing” is so boring, and “Busy” is exhausting, but the adventure of following Christ (and learning to love like he loves) is something not to be missed.