Recently a parish member and I were talking about an author we are both quite fond of, The Rev. Eugene Peterson.  Peterson is a Presbyterian Minister and has served in a parish setting for many years.  He has consciously chosen to pastor a smaller community of a little fewer than 300 members because he believes he should be in a church where he knows each member by name.  He writes a good deal about spirituality and about how to live ones’ faith in our fast-paced culture.  Here’s what Peterson has to say about busy-ness:  “Busyness is the enemy of spirituality.  It is essentially laziness! It is doing the easy thing instead of the hard thing.  It is fulfilling the time with our own actions instead of paying attention to God."

            Those may be hard words to read, but I find that there is a deep truth in them.  Often times, our busyness can be something we hide behind.  It can distract us from looking at some of the deeper, more difficult questions we face in life, what we might call “God questions”.  When we are not filled with our own busyness and the focus on self that necessarily comes with it, we may find that we can really think about what matters in life, who and what is most important and deserving of our time, energy, and thought, and what motivates us and gives us cause to get up every morning and face a new day. 

            What we have discovered in Christianity is that our lives are most meaningful, authentic and worth living when we seek a relationship with Christ and pattern our lives after his.  In order to seek, know, love and serve Christ it is important that we nurture our spirituality, that we not allow ourselves to be consumed by the many projects, obligations and tasks that surround us and clamor for our attention.  While all of these may be very important and need our involvement, it is important that we always understand life and its obligations in light of our status as God’s beloved children, adopted in Christ.  

            In order to spend time with the “God questions”, we need to be able to listen to God’s answers.  These answers from God are best sought and obtained when we can be still and focused and in once place- physically, mentally and spiritually.