Now, I am going out on a limb here but I am sure I am not alone. The word BUSY used to make women feel important, needed and desired. This is NOT the story today for most women.
I can say 20 years ago, as a stay at home mother I longed for the day when, running my kids to and from places was not my version of busy. As a result, I felt the yearning to do more, be more and learn more about the outside world. The world I lived in was immaculate, run like a fine-tuned engine. I had taken the home maker job to another level, working my straight five hours before taking a break. Everyday, routine of bleaching, organizing, laundry, vacuuming, preparing for supper. You name it, most days I had done it all by noon. I would feel so good knowing all of my tasks were completed. Then came the ‘more’ part of my life.
i want more.
The more part took over at times so incredibly strong, it was like a screaming voice in the core of my body. It would yell at me to study something, get a career, stop being LAZY!
I would hear the little conversations of working women and think, there lives sounded fuller. It was like they knew so many people, they were always dressed up, they knew much more about the world than I did.
The only people I knew, were 3 playschool moms. And comparatively, the only clothes I owned were two pair of jeans, (good ones for going out and ones for the farm) and then my multitude of “home clothes” which looking back, would have simply resembled pajamas. And most things I thought I knew were taught to me by the news at noon and maybe an episode of Dr.Phil.
I envied the life of the working woman. I desired to talk about my busy life with work. Real work. Not diaper changing and running kids to sports and activities.
then life hit me. the busy life.
Let me tell you the truth about being a working woman with kids. It does not make you feel glamourous; it does not make you feel important or desired. It is a nagging ache of chronic exhaustion. It is true, know so many more people, however you do not really know them. Everything seems superficial. The knowledge you learn in the working world is far from anything you would even want to buy in a book store and the clothing expense is usually a months wage!
are you in the business of busy?
Busy has become a business, full of lists, schedules, calendars, meetings, emails and on top of all of these things, there is still the ‘home job’. Your family, your children, your husband and most importantly God.
The truth is you now have perspective. In hindsight, the days of cleaning, laundry folding, coloring with your littles, dandelion bouquets should have been cherished. Back then the largest worry was what to make for supper and it was not reflective of your abilities or your importance, but a reflection of nurture in its most pure form.
what now?
God has His will written for us in Scripture. He has His plan for our lives strategically carved into our living Word. Therefore, if we would only listen to God and know what He wants for our lives, we would be less exhausted, a full of energy for our truest role.
truly, do you hear His words?
Haggai 1:9 ~ “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”
God wants us to concern ourselves with Him. His plan for our lives, our roles and our great responsibility of building His house. Accordingly, we are not to compare ourselves and keep ourselves busy to look a certain way to the world. He says it so clearly above, that what we bring home from all of our busy lives he will blow away. Above all, He does not value what we are doing out in the world to better our finances, our status or our appearance. He wants us to concentrate on His home, the kingdom of Christ. Most importantly, He wants us to take rest in Him.
