Busy, Busy, Busy.

Instead of starting with a backhanded brag about how much work I have to do this week (it's that "I'm busier than you are, therefore I'm better than you" attitude I'm combating), I'm going to talk about this quote some of the other FOCUS student leaders and missionaries were putting up on facebook this weekend.

We live in a world, especially if we're on a college campus, where being busy indicates success. Unfortunately, I've become conditioned to become a believer of this mindset. The fuller my scheduler, the less free time I have, the better I feel. I thrive on my to do lists and constantly having a project to do or an event to plan. Last Monday night, I didn't have anything to do and it stressed me out. I felt lost. One of the reasons I'm sad about passing the Panhellenic gavel on Wednesday is because I won't have anything to do anymore.

"What is the biggest obstacle facing the family right now? It is over-commitment; time pressure. There is nothing that will destroy family life more insidiously than hectic schedules and busy lives, where spouses are too exhausted to communicate, too fatigued to talk to the kids. The frantic lifestyle is just as destructive as one involving outbroken sin. If Satan can't make you sin, he'll make you busy, and that's just about the same thing." - James Dobson

When I look to my days that are super busy, I see a trend of not taking the time to stop and pray. Busyness in itself is not bad, it's what we do with it that makes it destructive. If we make ourselves so busy that we do not have the ability to stop and pray, or stop and make time for those who need us, we are isolating ourselves from God's will. Throughout the history of the Bible and looking to the lives of the saints, God is found in the silence and stillness of our hearts. In this world, silence is almost an unheard of concept. We constantly have access to distraction and ways to keep ourselves busy.

So as we enter into this season of finals and the holiday rush, I am challenging myself to purposefully plan in quiet time in my schedule. My prayer is that if I can find silence in this crazy world, God will give me the peace and strength to get through finals. I know that if I can ground myself in him, I will have access to a calm that I wouldn't have if I just let myself become consumed with the intense time pressure of senior year.