Busy Work

When I was eleven years old, the public school teachers in my district went

on strike to call for much-needed improved wages. The students missed a few

weeks of school as a result. To make up some of the missed days, the school

board instituted something I’d never heard of before: Saturday school. For

one month, a modified version of school would take place for a half-day on

Saturdays. I attended the first session, only to discover that merely a

handful of students had shown up. We spent the day watching videos and

playing a few games as a substitute teacher kept an eye on us.

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Not only had that day bored me (and my classmates too), but we hadn’t

accomplished anything either. So, the following Saturday, I asked my

parents to let me stay home. I earned good grades and (mostly) enjoyed

school, but I judged spending a Saturday indoors doing busy work as a waste

of time. Just going to the school building for a few hours simply so it

could be called a school day seemed pointless. My parents agreed. On that

Saturday, I played outside and helped with chores around our house instead.

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I didn’t really consider whether I was being a good steward of my life when

I begged to skip Saturday school. But as we grow up, we realize our time is

limited and it matters how we spend it. Once we begin a relationship with

God by trusting Jesus to save us from our sins, we can then honor the Lord

by stewarding the lives He has entrusted to us. As He leads us, we can

learn to make the most of the days He gives us. In addition to being

productive, we can also invest our time in relationships, in relaxation,

and in fun. As followers of Jesus, we are free from the idea of simply

being busy for busyness’s sake. Instead, we can rest in His love for us and

in the work He has already done through His death and resurrection, and we

can choose how we spend our days in light of those truths. Allison Wilson

Lee

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How do you decide what to prioritize in your life?

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What distracts you from investing your time in what’s most important?

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How can knowing that we belong to and are loved by Jesus help us become

better stewards of our time?

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Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm

90:12 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Deuteronomy 5:13-Deuteronomy 5:15; Mark 2:23-Mark 2:28; Ephesians 5:15-Ephesians 5:17; Psalm 90:12