So busy...

Any Christian with children (or a friend who has children) has heard of Veggie Tales.  (If you haven't catch up people, seriously!  Even College students watch Veggie Tales for their catchy songs and poinant life lessons).

One of my all time favorites is one of their first ones (the first?) "Are You My Neighbor".  In the "Tale of Two Cities" (Flibber O Loo) they show the song about the Good Samaritan.  One of the songs that has stuck with me for... well... let's just say a looong time is this one.

I'm Busy, busy, shockingly busy
Much, much too busy for you.
Larry: Oh, I see.
Archibald and Doctor: We're busy, busy, dreadfully busy
You've no idea what we have to do.
Busy, busy, shockingly busy
Much, much too busy for you.
'Cause we're busy, busy, frightfully busy
More than a bumblebee, more than an ant.
Busy, busy, horribly busy
We'd love to help, but we can't!
Archibald: Ta ta!

I think about this in light of the dreadfully busy lives we live.  Especially in Orange County, CA (ok, so this is actually my only real reference for lifestyle since this is where I live and have always lived and worked; so if you live someplace equally as high pressure, feel free to include your city here! _____).

We have our whole "keeping up with Newport Coast" (or Newport Beach, or the other family that seems to have the perfect life and you know you would NEVER invite them to your house without having moved out first and had it professionally cleaned and steralized... but I digress).  This is a culture of high motivation, extremely busy schedules, overcommitment, frustrating traffic and the ever increasing communication and information available on your must have smart phone.  (Gosh that was tiring to even write!)

I am busy.  I love being busy.  I wear my busy-ness like a badge of honor and importance. 

You'll tell me what you are doing this weekend, and without even thinking that I might be committing social suicide in one-upsmanship, I'll reply with the list of things I intend to accomplish this weekend.  Where I'm volunteering, how many kids I'll be taking with me to a theme park or the beach or to do some involved craft...

What comes to mind right now on this very common topic in my life is... what am I missing out on due to my busy-ness?  Have I given God each day and all my plans and asked Him what His plans are for me?  Am I open to the Holy Spirit's leading if one of my kids just needs some face time without all the distractions?  Am I available to reach out to someone in need when I see the opportunity?  More importantly, am I just filling time to avoid being quiet with myself where I might focus on God's will in my life? 

See, that's what a 2x4 girl does.  We do. And do. And do.  I'm often so busy that I don't realize what I'm missing out on.  I'm too busy to really hear and accept the quiet leading of the Holy Spirit and I force God's hand with the 2x4 because I continually ask Him for His will, but I often don't stick around long enough to hear it.

I'm working on this.  I am a continuous work in progress and I have the splinters to show it.
Where are you on this journey?  How can you make some changes today?