Business with Busyness

#Ontheblog this week we are sharing wisdom from our speakers for the *Inaugural* You Are Stronger Than You Think Women’s Event.  Today, you will hear from Carey Bailey of CravingsOnline.net.

by Carey Bailey

Summer is coming to a close and the scent of “back to school” is the air. I am days away from heading out on one last vacation for the season, and people all around me are fitting in things here and there. There is just a busy feeling in the air. In fact, when I ask people “How are you?” the common response seems to be “Busy.”

I went ahead and looked up the definition of busy for curiosity’s sake.

Busy.
Adjective
Having a great deal to do.
Synonyms: occupied, engaged, involved, working, hard at work, hard pressed, swamped, absorbed, immersed, preoccupied.

Does any of that sound like you? Busy can be a way to describe our lives for a specific season. Maybe it is tax season and you are an accountant, you just had a new baby, or you have a specific time of year where you travel often. It would make sense to use the word “busy” as a descriptor for life in those times. But, if you are always describing your life as busy, then I would challenge you to ask yourself “why?”

Why do you choose busy?

When I think about busy women I automatically adventure in my mind to the story of Mary and Martha. We are so quick to judge Martha and her mission to make a Pinterest perfect meal for Jesus, but her outrage and frustration resonates because it is so relatable. I 100% understand her choice of busy and sometimes wonder how in the world Jesus didn’t see value in her actions.

Let’s jog our memories about how the story goes.

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-42

Do you find yourself wearing Martha’s shoes daily? Do you feel like you are always being pulled and tugged?

If so, I would encourage you to ask yourself 3 questions.

1. Where is God?

Does God have a defined space and place in your day to day?

{With your finger circle the one that applies to your life.}

Yes

No

Kinda/Sorta/Sometimes

Please know my heart here. I don’t believe you HAVE TO have a set number of minutes dedicated to God in your day. I believe our entire lives are an act of worship which means God is in our scripture reading as much as He is in our time dish washing. It is about the posture of your heart in those spaces. Do you invite God in through worship music, prayer, or scripture reading ?Do you allow yourself to receive Him? You can take a few moments in your busy day and read a verse on You Version or see scripture pass before your eyes on Facebook but do you actually stop and ask “God, what do you have for me in this word?” He is quite possibly prompting you to slow down.

Over a year ago I selfishly started Pin God 1^St. It is a monthly challenge for women to read a set passage of scripture prior to checking any social media feeds. I have been amazed at the response. Busy or not we need to choose God 1^st in our lives so that our minds are conditioned to choose Him throughout our day. God should hear our heart personally not through our Twitter feed.
If God doesn’t have designated time from you currently, then go ahead grab your phone right now. Yes, right now. You got it? Now set your alarm to go off 30 minutes earlier tomorrow and set yourself a new reminder “God time =’s JOY”.

2. Are you worked up over nothing?

You gotta high five Jesus here for saying it like it is ““Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.”

Can you insert your name here? Carey, dear Carey, you are fussing far too much and getting worked up over nothing. Go ahead, try it. Insert your name for Martha. Does that speak to you? It does to me.

Oh, how I fuss over things that do not matter. I fuss over Lego free floors and spilled snacks in the car. I get myself worked up over nothing. I do, I do, I do!!! Jesus reminds us here that me and my to-do list is not the main event here in life. We are here on earth to love God and reflect Jesus.

3. What are your intentions?

I don’t doubt that Martha started out with good intentions. She wanted to invite Jesus into her home and prepare a meal for Him. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to do that? But, you can see by Martha’s line of questioning that somewhere in the middle she lost her focus. She became jealous, bitter, and fearful that the attention wasn’t directed on all her “doings”. It is amazing how easily this creeps into our actions. We start out saying “yes” to an opening to serve on a board, that volunteer job, or insert your own scenario, and then it doesn’t become about serving it becomes about “LOOK AT ME!” Do you have any of those taking up room in your busy schedule? If so, I would encourage you to take a step back and see if you can recalibrate your heart or confess that, for right now, you need to take a break.

Rather than filling our days with “busyness”, let’s get back to the business that God had in mind for us on earth.

Carey Bailey is a woman who loves to dance around the living room with her husband to Michael Jackson, loves Blue Bell Pralines and Cream ice cream, loves reading to her kids in a tree house, and loves having Jesus as her BFF!

She is self professed candy junkie but sugar will never match her deep desire for helping women satisfy their cravings for abundant life. She does this through life coaching, speaking, and by sharing a one-of-a-kind devotional she authored, Cravings {The Devotional}.

You can connect with Carey through her Web-site, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.