I’m busy, busy—dreadfully busy. . . 

Most of us are busy, even the Amish. Personally, I’m grateful to be busy putting loads of store-bought clothes in my front-loading washer instead of hand-washing handmade frocks that hang on the line. But there’s something different about the intentionality and pace of their lifestyle and the hectic, hurried pace of mine.

I’m racing from one appointment to the next. Every day for the next month has an even or reminder on it. I’m a little calendar crazy: I set multiple alarms, synchronize between my computer and smart phone and color-code my activities.

Some of those activities are colored red for my ministry work. I’m writing a book on a deadline, and it’s been the most rewarding and terrifying experience of my professional life. This lifelong dream has been years in the making, and it was accompanied by plenty of rejection along the way. To be at this place of near completion is a miracle and a gift! It’s my top priority for the next two weeks.

Some of those activities are colored purple for family. The things we do together are becoming fewer and further between now that our daughter is a senior in high school. Because we can work from home, we’re together a lot in the summer—but a lot of that time is idle, and “being together” just means we’re under the same roof.

Some of those activities are colored green for work. I work at our church, a job I love and still cannot believe God wrote into His plan for me. He’s given me the perfect position to apply my skills and passions, and placed me under incredible people who love Him faithfully. My office is adorable, the people I serve are my friends and family, and the work is worship.

Some of those activities are colored yellow for friends. When their birthdays pop up, I try to send a Facebook greeting . . . but I long for a face-to-face meeting. There aren’t enough coffee dates, movie nights and girlfriend gabfests on my calendar.

Some of those activities are colored blue for me—things only I can do, like go to the gym or get my hair cut. These are usually boring, obligatory appointments I’d hire someone to do if only I could.

I don’t put my time with the Lord on my calendar, but it’s built in to the beginning of each day. If I don’t dedicate the first minutes of my day to God, you don’t want to know what happens to the rest of it. He reminded me why as I was reading my Bible in the predawn yesterday morning—

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 NLT

When I don’t take the time from my busy, busy day to “remain in Him,” the remainder of the day is fruitless. The red appointments run late, the purple dates are frazzled, the green events become stressful—and yellow and blue ones don’t happen at all.

I’m too busy to be too busy for God.

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