Breaking Busy
by Alli Worthington
Release Date January 26, 2016
“You don’t have to be all things to all people.
Just be the best you to the people who matter the most.”
I always love when I get asked to do book reviews. I love reading, so it just makes sense. But it seems like every time I get asked, I have literally no time to read the book. I am soooooo busy. Coincidental that this book was about how to not be so busy. Three days before the book release I finally sat down to read the book. We have been snowed in since Friday, so I have been reading a ton. I mean, I have read three books in two days. But not the book for the book review. Nope that one was still sitting on my desk just waiting. Staring at me. Taunting me. Finally I picked it up.
“…you might be missing out on the life you are meant to live,
missing out because you are operating in a world of crazy busy
where the noise and distractions are keeping you
from what you were meant to do[.]”
I think the last chapter of the book hit me the hardest. It really dug down to the root of my “busy”. I stay busy because of shame. I am constantly trying to prove to the world around me that I have value. I always feel like I have to DO something in order to make people like me and appreciate me. Therefore, I have a hard time saying no to anyone. This has been a cycle in my life for as long as I can remember. Instilled in me as a child that I would never be good enough and I always had to keep trying my hardest to please those around me. What an unhealthy way to live.
“Staying busy with shallow acquaintances only leaves us feeling empty.”
I have this illusion that if I just work hard enough or do something perfect enough I will be accepted and valued. If I can’t do something as perfect as I feel it should be done, I don’t even want to try. But Alli says God offers us life. A life “free from striving for our own sense of perfection, a life resisting in the assurance that we are already perfect because of the work he has done on the cross.” John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
“When you know what your goals and priorities are (in both the short and long run), you can decide if a certain activity will get you closer or farther away from that goal. Make sure you spend time doing things that get you closer to your goals.”
God wants us to have abundant life, but what does that mean? I think it can only be achieved when we realize that we have true worth and the place that worth comes from is Jesus Christ. “Our worth does not come through our great accomplishments, nor does it come from other people’s acceptance (or rejection) of us. Jesus teaches us that our worth is in him.” We need to rest in this. Our worth is in Jesus. I know this is so much easier said than done, and satan will do whatever he can to get us to disbelieve this. Every day he tries to distract us, make us feel unworthy and unloved. But everything that comes from the enemy is a lie. Only when we turn to Jesus and find our worth in Him, will we be able to break the busy cycles in our lives and start doing what He truly has called us to do.
“He’s [God] waiting for you to stop striving and set everything aside that is keeping you busy and distracted, then turn your attention to him. In a living, daily relationship, he can then show you places you should go, people you should listen to, talents you should nourish, opportunities you should pursue, and passions and gifts he wants you to develop.”
I think the action steps at the end of the chapter are a great wrap up for the whole book and some great things for us to think about today. Go ahead and answer them if you want. Post your answers in the comments of this blog if you want to share. And be sure to grab a copy of this book for yourself! Here’s to Breaking Busy !
Action Steps (from chapter 10)
- Remember a time in your life when you felt a deep sense of shame. What lie were you believing?
- Identify an area of your life where your busyness is an attempt to prove your worth. What would change if you approached life from a deep sense of God’s grace and love for you, rather than a sense of shame or pride?
- Pray and ask God what truths he wants you to know about his love for you, and ask that he make love for him the central desire of your heart.
*all quotes taken from Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington
