Stopping to Pay Attention

 “A busy life can murder our hearts.”   So writes Mark Buchanan in his book “The Rest of God.”  Yet we can wear our busy lives as a badge of honor.   If people ask us how we’re doing, we might answer, “very busy.”  Such an answer is respected and affirmed as purposeful and valuable.  Our culture practices busyness.  It doesn’t stop.  We don’t have a cultural day of rest.  We just keep going.   It can feel energizing with much to do and many obligations.   But our bodies, minds and souls have limits.  I shared with you how 30 years ago, I had settled into a life of working 6 days a week, 5 evenings a week.  Then my body and mind did a forced stop.  I had to take months off work to recover.  We need to figure out how to resist an over-busy life that will inevitably drain us.