Occasionally people will say to me “I know you are busy….but” and the sentence normally ends with a request for my time or resources. Being busy is often seen as a virtue, or a badge of honour, and so I have started replying “I am not too busy, but I am focussed…what do you have in mind?” This gives the conversation a place to land where I am able to prioritise how I invest my energy and limited resources. I am listening to their request, but I am putting boundaries in place at the same time.
“Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 (New Living Translation).
Prioritising our time is one way to grow in wisdom. The King James translation says, “that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” How we use our time is a heart issue. Our heart is often the core place housing our motivations. The heart is where we carry both true and false motivations. How can you tell the difference between true and false? It is complicated because we are not always self-aware. There are a number of factors to guide us.
Step 1 – Be Open-hearted to God’s Instruction and Redirection
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!”
Psalm 139:23 (ESV)
The words “search me” in English are one word in Hebrew, ḥāqar. It means to examine and probe a little deeper. There is a word picture here, like searching for treasure in a field, or digging the earth to go deeper. This means we need to be willing to do some self-examination, and also allow the Spirit of God to probe more deeply. This may not be a comfortable experience because when we dig deeper, we may find things that are buried for a reason. We may encounter wounds in our heart that motivate us negatively as a defence mechanism. This is why I recommend entering this process with a soul friend who will gently and sensitively steer the direction.
Uncovering hidden motives is never straightforward, we are complex, but it can produce enlightenment, revealing why we avoid certain things or people. Psalm 139 begins with “You have searched me and known me.” God is not surprised at what we discover in our hearts. He already knew, and so we do not need to fear. The Psalm reveals that God “You understand my thoughts.” Our mind is often full of conflicting thoughts because our heart is sending out mixed messages. The mind often reveals the heart. Jesus said a similar thing:
“What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45
Step 2 – Recognise that we Live According to Seasons of Life
“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New Living Translation)
Priorities change throughout life. When I was a young father, my priority was my children. Now they are young men, I have more time to invest in other areas such as study. I waited till my children were older before attempting a master’s degree. I was also newly planting a church which was very demanding. Nurturing young children and young churches are heavily dependent on time, energy, and resources. Recognising the season, we are in makes a big difference to how we invest ourselves in people, places, and projects.
Again, this requires discernment. I would suggest that whatever life stage we are in; we should foster the gift of discernment. There is an interesting verse in 1 Corinthians 14:29 which says, “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” There are two ways to understand this. First, each prophetic person should be self-aware, or alternatively, other prophetic people should keep us accountable. I tend to think both are true. We need self-awareness and help from other insightful people.
In summary, being too busy for the wrong reasons is not helpful. There are seasons of busyness that may be appropriate, but they are meant to be temporary and fit into a rhythm of life. The way we live will depend on our motivations, and therefore learning to discern our own hearts through self-awareness and helpful insightful partners is a good way forward. All of this requires intentionality beginning with a prayer posture that says, “search me, O God.” Lord, have mercy!
Scott Brennan
Cairn Community Builder
