“Wow, it has been so long…how are you?”

“Oh, you know just crazy busy as always.”

“Yeah, same here, I just can’t seem to slow down.”

Since when has being busy been something that we like to pride ourselves on it being quote on quote good. Everyone always talks about how they just need a break from the average routine that seems to be consuming of all of our energy, our time, and our interests. Yet, on the contrast we are also quick to say that we long for a vacation and for time to just do nothing.

So which is it, do we truly enjoy our down time or do we enjoy our busyness because it makes us look like a well-deserving citizen, friend, child, or leader, student, parent, etc? Busyness is an all-consuming force we find interest in because of the mindset that we are taught to have. There comes a point in all of our lives where we have to make sacrifices in order to truly focus on what is important to us.

That paper vs. A phone call home.

An extra shift vs. That “friendcation” weekend.

Enjoying the moment vs. Capturing it on your phone.

Life often seems overwhelming because we don’t know how to balance our responsibilities with the things that stir our heart with affection. Now, I am not saying that you can merely neglect your accountabilities because you just don’t feel like doing them; however, I am saying that there comes a point where enough is enough and we should stop priding ourselves that we are constantly busy... instead we should realize the bigger picture. There is a common statement that you hear when someone asks, “What is your biggest regret?” to someone who is about to live their last moments, and more than not you also hear the response, “I don’t regret the things I did, but the things I didn’t do.” Why do you think this response is so common that you know exactly what I am talking about?

The answer is rather simple: life is not meant to wait for the weekend, it is not meant to live consumed with places that you are not, it is not meant to be consumed with work and extracurricular “necessities.” Busyness frequently overrides our heart and tells it to subside because right now all you can afford is this mission. We become addicted to busyness because it is easier to be addicted, rather than to face “emptiness” and the fear that it provokes. Yet, the "emptiness" that we fear is actually stillness. Stillness is just enjoying the things that we have, looking at life from another perspective and realizing that there are insurmountable opportunities smack dab in front of our faces. Nonetheless, we are still blinded by all of the things in our lives that seem to just fill the schedule rather than fill our hearts.

Someone pointed out this really awesome perspective to me the other day and in complete honesty it has everything to do with what I am trying to capture…He said it like this, “Uni means one, Verse means song. You have a song to sing, so don’t be shy to belt it out.” I was shook at this simple principle that is so overlooked in context of our lives. We don’t think that we have enough time, or we are just scared to make time. But it is time that we stop using busyness as an excuse to suffer or make sacrifices for those people or things we love. So if it means you penciling in time set apart then do it, or if it means you setting the phone down for once then do it, if it means taking a leap of faith then do it. Trust that the reward of being intentional about those you care about and the things that sustain your happiness is greater than biting off more than you can chew.