hs discussion- busyness

last week the hsyg gathered together for the first time (officially) since summer! hooray! soooo good to see everyone back in their youth group spots on the couches :) plus we ate chipolte for dinner. what a win!

we discussed this article which fits perfectly into this season of life. fall. time to be busy, get busy, busier, fill the calendar with appointments, school, sports, volunteering, work....all these things by themselves are good, some even great (i'm saying you need school, work...they are important). but when we allow our schedules to become so full, so packed and then take pride/joy in their fullness it is not a good thing.

last week was a busy week for me personally. lots of things starting, many commitments, whiny kids with colds, long to-do lists....lots of busyness. and i wasn't happy about it. there have been times when i have felt pride in how much i could juggle and manage but last week was not one of those times. i walked into our staff meeting and the first topic...being busy, slowing down. the topic already previously chosen for yg that evening...busyness. crazy how God works like that, huh?

so what does it all mean? do we give everything up? no. we discussed being mindful of what we fill our time with, realizing that we need time for rest and relaxing, time for God. we need to stop worrying about how much longer we spent on homework compared to others, spend less time on our smart phones and the internet, and say no to things when our calendar is already full. we talked about how it's important to place God first and be aware when we begin to place these other things in our life before Him.

it sounds so easy. but i'm the first to say it's not. as high school students, as parents, as friends, we all need to take the time to see what's filling our lives, to access if we are addicted to busyness. most likely the answer will be yes. the real difference is whether you act on it.

Luke 10: 38-42  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”