Sitting in my home a few years ago I heard a thump. Then another thump.

It was silent for a few moments so I went back to my writing.

Thump!

Okay, now I had to investigate. What I found was a beautiful male cardinal flying around one of our windows. He would hover near the window and then peck aggressively at the pane.

Thump!

He fluttered around some more and then thumped the glass!

The very focused bird stayed busy for several minutes repeating this odd behavior. I did some research and found that cardinals are very territorial. This beautiful bird apparently was seeing his own reflection in the window, and he was letting that intruder know he was not welcome! I worried that he was going to hurt himself defending his family against a nonexistent  threat.

How often do we wear ourselves out and even beat ourselves up trying to defend our “territory”? Invariably, our busyness is generated to counter imagined threats or a need to prove our worth.

Somehow being busy has become an indication of significance and value. If you are not busy, you are not worthy.

Christians are just as caught up in busyness. Letting my busyness get in the way of my relationship with God shows how out of balance I have let my schedule become. Nowhere in Scripture will I find this command.

Be busy, and know that I am God.

My busyness does not please God. My faith pleases Him. And I can’t have faith and trust in someone I am too busy to know. Day in and day out, I need to heed this truth:

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

I have a remarkable role model for how to balance busyness and priorities in Jesus. Jesus never allowed the tyranny of the urgent to supersede the ultimately more important reward of relationships. He didn’t feel the need to drive Himself to exhaustion to teach and preach.

Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house.
Matthew 13:36

It is instructive that Jesus withdrew from the crowd (and the obligation I likely would have felt) to spend time with His disciples. The most important thing for Jesus was to prepare His disciples and not to “friend” several hundred people on an ancient FaceScroll. Clearly, it was valuable for Jesus to be teaching the crowds. But His relationship to His ministry “family” trumped the public gathering priority.

Jesus gave another example of schedule priorities:

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
Mark 6:45-46

Jesus understood that He must say no to people who really wanted His attention in order to spend time doing what mattered most. This passage follows Jesus’ miraculous feeding of five thousand people. If I had performed such a feat, I would have hung around for hours to soak up the praise and accolades, sign a few autographs, and take some selfies. But Jesus knew what He needed in that moment— time with His Father.

I need to know when to say no. Busyness does not define my worth. Being a schedule martyr does not make me more righteous. Over scheduling keeps me from spending time with the One who gives His righteousness to me.

That was my struggle for forty years before I realized a simple truth that freed me to rest in God and receive His love. A dramatic change took place the moment I made the faith commitment to follow Jesus. Scripture tells me that when I decided to become a follower of Christ, the following things happened immediately:

I was given a new identity.

I became a new creation.

I received the gift of the righteousness of Christ.

I was changed completely when I put my trust in Christ as my only hope for salvation. I did not have to struggle with futile performance to change. I was changed that day. But it took me forty years to know Him better, never realizing I had been carrying around the key to that kind of relationship since day one.

Now I see a different picture. I see Jesus standing at my side and explaining that I am completely changed. I see Him telling me that my sins are forgiven and I can quit re-litigating past mistakes. I see Him explaining to me that all of those things that used to be true about me are no longer true. I see Him repeating that, because I tend to nod my head without really believing it. Jesus explains to me that no matter what the accuser might say, those things that used to define me are dead and buried at the Cross. I see Jesus telling me that I have the Holy Spirit to comfort me and provide an unshakable source of strength.

He reminds me gently that I don’t have to grit my teeth and try harder to win favor and please Him. He tells me for the ten thousandth time that sin does not have power over me anymore. And I see His demeanor being just as patient and kind as the first time He told me that truth. I hear Him remind me that power over sin is looking to Him for my strength and not trying to fight it with my busyness and resolve.

I see Jesus looking deeply into my eyes and tenderly expressing (again) that it is my trust in God that pleases Him. No other works are required. My faith is what pleases Him according to God’s Word. Nothing else. I picture Jesus embracing me and saying, “Relax. Rest. Let Me love you and then, out of that rest and love, you can love others. Quit making it so complicated, Dave.”

I have a hard time putting my full weight on those truths.

But I have learned that we can disabuse ourselves today of the notion that busyness is somehow related to godliness. I suggest a spring (or summer/fall/winter) cleaning of the calendar. Allow yourself time to spend with the most important people in your life. Schedule time with Jesus. Don’t allow guilt to monopolize every waking moment. Carve out time for friends, family, and yourself.

If Jesus could leave disappointed throngs behind for what was important, we should withdraw for recharging and time with God too. Be still, and know that God loves you and desires you. Your actions will naturally emerge from that loving relationship with Him. You don’t have to earn that love. It is already yours.