Recently several folks have said, ‘I’ve had a busy day’. I’ve realised that ‘busy’ means different things to different people.
An older friend drove to the hospital for an appointment, waited to be seen by a doctor, waited for test results, drove home, had a cup of tea and a nap… They’d had a busy day.
Thirty years ago, I might have worked a full twelve-hour day in school with no breaks, and come home to a two-hour church meeting. I didn’t think that wasn’t busy; it was normal.
Busyness is about being occupied, but the quantity of work, the physical or mental demands, or the productiveness of the activity isn’t clearly defined.
The characteristics of a ‘busy-body’, however, are very clear. Excessively inquisitive, unwelcomed meddling, involvement in others’ affairs. No one likes a busybody! In some places the police are called ‘busies’, because they’re watching, questioning, getting involved. For criminals their meddling is unwelcome!
In contrast the old Bing Crosby song describes a different view of busyness:
We’re busy doin’ nothin’
Workin’ the whole day through
Tryin’ to find lots of things not to do
We’re busy going nowhere
Isn’t it just a crime
We’d like to be unhappy, but
We never do have the time.
Some folks have got this form of busyness down to a fine art!
Busyness is often discouraged. We should have a work-life balance, take time out, slow down, have ‘me-time’, relax… Some of my Christian friends emphasise, ‘Be still and know that I am God’.
I want to redress that balance. Busyness is good. Life should be full of wholesome activity. Time and energy are gifts to be used well. For some of us energy or capacity may be less than it was, but life can be filled with so many good things!
…Musing on St Paul’s words: ‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good… Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone…’
I think he’s encouraging us to keep busy doing something.
malcolmsmusings.org 