"Badge of Busy-ness"

Well we are back from Boston now, and glad to be home. We had a great time out there, and the kiddo was fabulous, but there's something special about being home, too. The babe has been catching up on her sleep (she didn't get to nap much, since we were on the go much of the time). We did find out that she has RSV :(, so we're just hanging out at home, praying that it passes quickly.

We had a lovely surprise waiting for us when we returned home - our package from Amazon. We bought it shortly after Christmas with some leftover money we had. More about the books we ordered later, but the DVD "Everything is Spiritual" by Rob Bell is amazing!! L and I both learned so much (and he covered a lot of science related topics, so I thought I might get bored, but it was fascinating).

Something that Bell mentioned toward the end resonated with me, as it's a topic I've been thinking a lot about. He said, "We need to slow down enough so that we don't miss a thing." Perhaps not the most profound statement, but enough to convict me.

Our society is so busy. Whenever we greet someone we say, "How are you doing?" Inevitably the answer is "Busy." We wear busy-ness like a badge. We have difficulty slowing down, and when we do have some free time we either feel like we're being lazy, or we fill it with mindless drivel.

I have to admit, since the baby was born, it made me think about how life changes. I can't just "go" anymore. When we were downstate and both working, in two bible studies, leading the service ministry at church, seeing friends, and tending to our house. We were BUSY. Any free time seemed to be filled. Now we are home more, but still busy. A baby does that to you. You don't get to pick and choose your free time, even though it seems like I should have more time to myself. I guess I do have more than I used to - mostly because we've chosen not to get too involved in community and church just yet.

AW Tozer said that we are "almost frantic people" and that "speed and noise are evidences of weakness, not strength". Wow. How many times do I fill the silence with noise and busy just because?

Seriously. Why can't we just be? Why can't I just be? Why do I turn the music up instead of having a conversation with God?

When moving up here, one of our goals was to lead more of a simpler life. We didn't want to have to deal with mortgage payments anymore or have a million commitments to tend to. Don't get me wrong; a house and commitments are not bad things. We were ready to be FREE of them for a little while. We were pretty frazzled.

But even with our free time, I'm wondering. Am I experiencing life to its fullest? Am I aware of God in everything I do? What am I missing when I don't spend that silent, quiet time with God each day?

Nouwen writes "We are usually surrounded by so much outer noise that it is hard to truly hear out God when He is speaking to us. We have often become deaf, unable to know when God call us and unable to understand in which direction he calls us. Thus our lives have become absurd... when, however, we learn to listen our lives become obedient."

The babe is stirring, so I need to go, but remember this: there is so much beauty and life to experience. How much do we miss because we're running here or there, or because we've filled out time with TV? What would life be like if we could just slow down enough to breathe it all in?

"Earth is crammed with Heaven. And every bush aflame with God. But only those who see take off their shoes..." Elizabeth Barrett Browning