The Weed of Busyness

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10

Our next door neighbors have an interesting flower bed. It is full of tiny oak trees. The crop of acorns from last fall has taken root.

As Megan and I looked at the many little oak trees—too many to count—we both commented on how much they reminded us of our lives. Things pop up each day demanding our time.

Satan loves for us to be too busy. It is easy for him to get into our lives when we are too busy to have a quiet time with God or to have quality time with our children. It robs us of time to reach out to those who are in need of loving care and to those who need to know about Jesus. 

Megan and her family went to work pulling out the little oaks. She knew that these little trees would crowd out the flowers she had planted. Our lives are like that. If we don’t pull out the weeds in our lives, they will crowd out the time we need to spend on things which have eternal value.

“Be still,” God tells us. Aren’t those beautiful words? We hardly know what they mean these days. The busy pace of life robs us of the peace that we can have through Jesus Christ. God tells us to quiet our minds so that He can speak to us. Times of stillness also reduce our stress and frustrations.

Many of us yearn for a more simplified lifestyle. Yet, we seem to not know how to get this lifestyle. We must be careful that our to-do list doesn’t direct our life. It is also important to arrange quiet, still times for our children. Activities are important, but they have no eternal value.

Just watching the flutter of leaves in a gentle breeze or looking at the various colors of blooming flowers can calm us down inside. Times of stillness can be a great teacher.

Georgia Andrus