Everyone I know is busy. Even retired people who live around here are constantly going, going, going. But what are we busy doing? Are we busy doing things that matter?
Like most other young professionals climbing the corporate ladder, I used to get up at 5:00am, work out for an hour or so, slam breakfast, commute to work, work for 8-10 hours grab a quick lunch at my desk, commute home, eat dinner, watch TV for a bit, and go to bed about 9:00pm. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Computers and cell phones changed my routine. I worked from my home office some days thus avoiding the dreaded commute hours. And of course, I could always get some extra work done in the evenings and weekends because the computer and a good internet connection made it possible.
If anyone asked me how I was doing, the usual response was, “I’m busy as ever!”
Entrepreneurs I knew seemed even busier. The responsibility for their company and their income rested squarely on their shoulders. If they didn’t work, they didn’t eat. They never seem to have any time they can call their own apart from their business.
We were all busy working to buy stuff, so we could live comfortably and then retire to a life of leisure. Yeah, baby! Fun in the sun!
So, we are busy, but are we busy doing things that matter? Or, are we busy being fools?
If I had been alive in Jesus’ time, He would have said I was busy being a fool. I know because He wrote a story about someone like me called the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21).
The Rich Fool
Jesus warned the disciples about greed saying a man’s life is not measured by his possessions. In other words, the one with the most toys does not win!
As he continued to teach, Jesus told about a wealthy farmer whose crop was so large he didn’t have barns large enough to store it all. So, the man decided to tear down his old barns and build larger ones. And then, when he had enough stored up, he would take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry!
But, said Jesus, the man is a fool because what the man didn’t know was that very night he would die, and someone else would inherit his possessions.
Jesus made it clear the accumulation of possessions was not a bad thing. The issue, He said, is the man stored up things for himself and is not rich toward God.
The man’s priorities were on himself, not on God.
It’s All About Priorities
Leaders, we are all resource constrained. That is, we have more work and more things demanding our time and attention than we could possibly do in multiple lifetimes.
So, where should we put our efforts?
The rich man in Jesus’ parable was concerned with himself and the accumulation of possessions. He wanted to accumulate great wealth for himself, and he wanted to retire to a life of leisure.
It wasn’t wrong that he was successful. It wasn’t wrong that he wanted to save for his retirement.
This man’s problem was that he was so focused on himself, he had no heart for the things of God.
Our priorities are a reflection of what is important to us. If we are focused on ourselves, our priorities will be on our earthly needs. If we are focused on things of God, it will be reflected in our priorities.
A recent study found the average person in America spends 9.6 minutes a day on spiritual matters. And fewer than 10% of us spent any time at all on spiritual pursuits. Said another way, 90% of us spend no time at all with God on a daily basis.
It seems we are very busy, but not busy with the things of God.
Being busy is not the same thing as doing things that matter. We need to ask ourselves, “Is what I am busy doing, important? Is it serving the Kingdom? Is it bringing glory to God?”
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Where are your priorities? Are you busy doing things that matter?
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Category: Personal Development | Priorities
