Busyness. Activities. Time crunch. Burn out. We live in a fast-paced world and we are all living hectic lives. We look for the off switch and only find more things to do. If we can just finish our tasks for the day, then we can rest. But it seems like our to-do lists never seem to shrink. We have lists for our to-do lists. Relaxation is something we all work hard for these days, but never quite achieve. We even need a vacation from our vacations. We want peace from it all yet fill our days with more.
From the time I wake up to when I lay my head down at night, my days are filled with constant activity in a tightly packed schedule. And there is still more to do. 24 hours is not enough. Sleep seems to get in the way, yet I am always wanting more of it. All of the busyness seems good and necessary when I am doing it. I need to accomplish these things. They are really important. If I do not take care of them, then they will only make tomorrow that much more busy.
As important as our schedules are, and as hard as we try to keep them, most of us cannot remember all the things we did last week. And if we are honest, most of our schedules are filled with things that have no eternal value. We fill our days with things that seem critical to us, yet what is important is crowded out or pushed to the edge.
Our busyness is a choice. My schedule is of my own making. You fill your day with your priorities. It’s time for us to pause and rest in Jesus, regardless of what we are doing. Jesus is the everlasting peace that our hearts crave (John 14:27; 16:33). In him we find eternal rest (Matt. 11:28). Jesus says if you want peace, turn to who is peace. He is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Peace for your soul. Peace from endless striving and prideful achievement. He gives rest to the weary. Rest from running our lives. Rest from the constant barrage of competing priorities.
We need to stop focusing on what our days are filled with, and look to who our days are filled with. Let the waterfall of Jesus’ goodness and eternal peace pour over your day. As you take on the tasks you need to do, be overcome by the massive wave of his eternal rest. Don’t just focus on the things you see in front of you. As important as you think they are, they are temporary. Focus on the One who is eternal. His kingdom is not filled with activity as we know it; it’s filled with his righteousness and peace and joy in him (Rom. 14:17).