WINDED
HOW TO CATCH YOUR BREATH IN A BUSY WORLD
Imagine life is like jogging on a treadmill. A leisurely pace releases energizing endorphins, and our muscles move to the rhythm set by the playlist pumping through our ears. Life is good. We’ve got this. Glancing down at the dashboard, however, we notice a problem—a big problem. The incline and speed buttons are jammed into acceleration. We suddenly find that life is getting busier and more complicated. We’re no longer jogging but running at full speed. Our responsibilities, and therefore anxieties, exponentially increase, and we are left huffing and puffing for air.
Even though we are in motion and life feels full of activity, the trouble is we’re not actually going anywhere. We are running in place, going nowhere, getting soaked from heavy perspiration. Looking around, everyone else is on their own treadmills, which makes the frantic, “I’m-so-busy” pace seem normal. But, we simply can’t exert ourselves like this forever. If something doesn’t change, we’ll burn out and risk serious injury.
STUCK AT TURBO SPEED
Sometimes life feels like it schedules itself. Going from classes to studying to work to being with friends to enjoying hobbies makes our days blur into months. We try to console ourselves that this season of feeling overwhelmed is just temporary and that it’ll be worth it when we finally get what we work so hard for. That, my friend, is false hope. What makes us busy may change, but the busyness itself does not.
If our daily calendars aren’t that full, we’re not off the hook either because busyness also afflicts our mental energy. For example, it’s not hard to see that using social media, texting, and browsing the web keep our minds busy all hours of the day and night. Research suggests that “We tap, swipe, and click on our phones 2,617 times per day.”2 And the other half of the time our internal monologue is ruling our mind, lost in our to-do list, concocting imaginary conversations, or stressing about relationships. We’re here on the outside, but we’re a million miles away on the inside.
Alarm bells go off when we live maxed out. We hear them at first, but then gradually we learn to live with them like they are familiar friends. Some common signals include not eating enough, overeating, sacrificing sleep, changes in mood, and a loss of personal joy and thankfulness. We compensate for it all by consuming lots of coffee and energy drinks and trying even harder. Pretty soon, we get stuck running at high speed without gaining any ground.
REST FOR THE WEARY
Everyone wants true rest, but not everyone knows where to look. Unfortunately, we often look in the wrong places, and the things we take hold of—prescriptions, entertainment, substances— are numbing instead of refreshing. Jesus sees our frantic condition. Instead of saying, “Run faster, the pressure’s on you,” He offers the most incredible invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV). In Christ, we’re free to admit our limitations, our failings, our daily disappointments, and our striving. We can finally exhale.
The rest Jesus offers means using our time intentionally and responsibly. Even Jesus, being perfect, had to think critically when it came to His relationships, His work, and His rest. The same is true for us. Universities, jobs, families, and our own selves have a million agendas for us to follow, and we can’t possibly please them all. In extreme contrast, Christ’s example demonstrated a life driven by going where His Father led and doing what His Father asked at every moment and in every situation.
A measure of rest we can attain in this life comes from meditating on and hoping in the life to come. We can breathe easier when we remember that this life isn’t all there is. Eternity is real, and Jesus’ desire is that we would spend it with Him. For instance, the book of Colossians implores us, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (2:3-4, NKJV). Our circumstances may not change, but facing them with a different perspective can make all the difference. Whatever busyness, whatever chaos, whatever anxiety, whatever exhaustion we’re facing now is only light and momentary compared to what Jesus has planned if we choose to trust Him.
A NEW WAY TO WALK
At this point, our gut reaction to fix our busyness might be to kneejerk in the opposite direction. Don’t. The answer is not to become lazy by quitting everything that makes us busy. Instead, take an inventory of daily activity and look for common sense adjustments. Can we accomplish a task in half the amount of time we set aside and use the remaining time to pray, meditate, or go for a walk? Also, address what is important versus what is urgent. In the age of constant notifications, everything seems urgent, but it’s really not.
Furthermore, when we run at 100 miles an hour, it gives very little time and space for God to provide any input on the direction our life is going. He’s trying to speak to us, but our personal world is so loud we can’t hear. Sometimes when we sit down to read the Bible, our thoughts invade like a raging flood, causing a major distraction. Fight the urge to want to give up and keep reading. Let God’s Word clarify what we do and why. A lot of burnout comes from imposing a certain level of performance and tasks on ourselves that God never called us to in the first place.
Knowing God’s voice comes through practice. We know a thought, an idea, or a direction to go in is from God if it is supported by Scripture. We also know this if trusted Christians give affirming counsel, circumstances line up, and the Holy Spirit working through our conscience gives peace. God doesn’t want us to be stuck in one place but instead wants us to grow and mature as we walk the path He has set out for us. Doing so is messy, but so is every other relationship. Walking with God means we don’t run ahead doing our own thing, and we also don’t sit down too scared to move on. Jesus died and was resurrected to life again so that we may know Him and we would be known by Him. That’s what this whole Christian thing is about.
When life gets us out of breath, it’s not always a bad thing. Just like a jog in the brisk morning air, burning lungs is a sign we’re alive. However, the critical factor is knowing what we’re exhausting ourselves for. American author and pastor Kevin DeYoung in his book, Crazy Busy, summarizes, “The busyness that’s bad is not the busyness of work, but the busyness that works hard at the wrong things. It’s being busy trying to please people, busy trying to control others, busy trying to do things we haven’t been called to do.” If this is us, if we’re out of breath from the wrong things, Jesus is offering us His rest. He is inviting us to catch our breath, get back up on our feet, and follow Him where He’s going. May we all leave our treadmills behind.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30, NKJV).
1DeYoung, Kevin. (2013). Crazy busy: A (mercifully) short book about a (really) big problem. Crossway. Pg. 16.
2Brandon, J. (Nov. 19, 2019). These updated stats about how often you use your phone will humble you. Inc.com
3II Corinthians 4:17