The Danger of Busyness & Missing Your Higher Calling

I’m sure you have heard the saying,

“If Satan cannot make you bad, he will make you busy!”

I used to take it lightly because I thought it was just a cute little joke. After years of observing busy people and personal experience, I discovered that saying is profoundly true. The truth is that busyness can be as bad as bad. Busyness can be a distraction from what matters most and our higher calling.

Bad people are likelier to hit a wall one day, wake up, repent, and change. But busy people are less likely to wake up because they think they are busy doing important things, so they don’t see the need to change. Maybe that’s why God hates lukewarmness. Lukewarmness is not bad—not cold, but not good enough—not hot enough.

When you ask people, “How are you doing?” They used to answer, “I’m fine.” But nowadays, more people like to answer, “I’m busy!” It makes them sound important and productive. However, busyness is not productivity. In fact, busyness could be an obstacle to real productivity that fulfills our calling.

A horrible war broke out between Israel and Palestine this week. I think wars are the ultimate example of busyness. What’s more important than defending your country? Laozi said,

“When the world lacks the Tao,
Warhorses give birth on the battlefield.” ~Laozi

With a simple sentence, the sage describes the horror of war. Imagine pregnant mares are taken to fight the battle and have to give birth on the battlefield. Animals cannot talk, but reasonable people can feel their pain. He pinpointed the cause for war—the lack of the Tao.

What is the Tao? The Tao in Chinese means “the Word” or “the Logos.” So, the Chinese translation of the Gospel of John says,

“In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God.” (Jn 1:1).

In other words, Laozi was saying that horrible wars break out when people don’t have God. Being religious doesn’t necessarily mean they have God. Jesus dealt with many religious people who didn’t have God. He was eventually crucified by religious leaders. So, religious people are not equivalent to godly people. John said later in verse 14.

“And the Tao became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14).

That means Jesus Christ is the Tao in human form, who reveals God as full of grace and truth. There is no grace in a war. So, there is no God in a war. Wars don’t resolve the root of the problem. It will make us busy and distract us from solving the root of the problem. War is a shortcut that masks the symptoms but doesn’t cure the disease. The disease is,

“When the world lacks the Tao (or God),
Warhorses give birth on the battlefield.” ~Laozi

What a busy scene in a sentence! If Satan cannot make you bad, he will make you busy! Busyness blinds us from seeing God and makes us resolve to violence and warfare because we think we are important. By busyness, I am also talking about mental busyness. I have ADHD. H is for Hyperactivity. While I don’t appear hyperactive physically, I am hyperactive in my mind. My mind is always busy.

So, this topic is not only for those who are physically busy but also mentally or emotionally busy. Jesus came to open our eyes to God’s grace, teaching us how to relax and be immensely fruitful by fulfilling our higher calling.

So, today, we will look at the danger of busyness that blinds us from fulfilling the divine calling based on this week’s scripture lesson. Let’s begin!