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Learning To Manage The Busy-ness Of Life And Be Ourselves

1 May 2018

By: Jason Sharp
Here is a reality check… while you think you are sitting still right now the Earth is rotating on its axis, the Earth is revolving around the sun, the solar system is also rotating around the galactic center, and the galaxy is moving around the universe. We are perhaps talking about millions of miles an hour. Yet, when you sat down to read this you thought you were still. Your physical perception of being still relative to the chair you are in is stronger than the reality. We can understand a lot about our lives in connection with this picture about “standing still.” This analogy works in reverse spiritually speaking. Our perception is much more attuned to the crazy than the peace. Life can be crazy, perhaps spinning out of control (excuse the pun), yet the reality can also be different. So how can we become more aware of the peace?


1. Boundaries
One of the hardest things to do is say, “No.” Maybe it’s an invitation to a party, another extracurricular activity for your children, a new project at work, and the list goes on. There are many great things in life. Trying to do them all will stretch us thin and cause us to lose out on enjoying life. Setting boundaries in a busy life can help us to manage the busy and be ourselves.


2. Breaks
God created the world and gave us an example in doing so, in Judaism this is the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of rest, and not what we would call a typical weekend day off  from our employed places of work so that we can spend time doing chores around the house. Please, do not stress out. A good friend once said, “The Sabbath was made for humanity, and not humanity for the Sabbath.” However, if you get as far as step one, creating boundaries, you need to also create breaks (or margins). Having clear lines is one thing, having space between those lines can help us to manage the busy and be ourselves.


3. Buddies
One of my favorite partnerships on TV, and perhaps the best in recent memory, was Gibbs and DiNozzo on NCIS. We all need someone in our life who we can absolutely be ourselves in front of and whenever we get out of hand can love us with a good “whack” on the back of the head. This is a comical picture of what spiritual formation circles call accountability. We need people who love us so much that they can look at us and say, “When was the last time you took a vacation? When was your last day to stay home and relax? Are you taking care of yourself?” In a world of crazy, a good friend or two can help us to manage the busy and be ourselves.


Be Yourself in the Busy
Life is crazy busy. It takes intentional foresight to go from life at light-speed to a peaceful pace. Set your boundaries, leave space for breaks, and have deep relationships with buddies who will have your back for your good.