John 10:10 ‘I have come so that you will have life, and have it to the full.’
We are all very keen to look busy in our everyday lives, aren’t we? It’s almost as if it can look wrong or lazy to have had a ‘quiet’ or ‘empty’ day, where we haven’t done much – or at least haven’t achieved anything.
If we’re asked ‘so, how has your week been?’ – a standard reply might well be ‘Oh, you know – busy – the usual stuff.’
Perhaps this is harder for those of us who don’t have ‘real’ jobs – ie paid employment. And there are many people working in our schools and churches voluntarily, who perhaps struggle to value the importance of what they do. When the reality may be that many of the events and activities in our communities wouldn’t actually be able to happen without such people around – tirelessly committed to getting on with the tasks, even if the importance is rarely recognized or acknowledged.
And yet – what a privilege!! What a joy it can be to have the time to give to the people you live amongst; to get to know them and share their lives and ‘do’ life with them. If you are someone who is giving your time in this way – celebrate it and recognize the importance of all that you are giving and doing.
And perhaps we should look carefully at the phrase Jesus used when He described the life He wants to bring us. A ‘full’ life. We can worry and moan about having to do church stuff; looking after our kids; being there for our partner; making time for the extended family; signing up for every event at school; joining at least half of the committees on offer; fitting in a bit of exercise; spending time praying and reading the Bible; etc….
Or – perhaps, instead of complaining about being busy, we can take a step back and be grateful for having those people in our lives; and having all the opportunities to go out and spend time with people and share experiences.
If Christ has filled your life with many people and much to experience and enjoy – take a step back and look at all you have in your life and be thankful for all the ways your life has been filled.
And if you feel too busy – God does understand. There was a time when Jesus and His disciples were so busy that they didn’t even have time to stop and eat.
So, how’s your week been? Full?