Busyness

Lutheran, The, Aug 2006 by Blezard, Robert C

Is being too busy a spiritual issue?

Do you have time to read a book just for fun? A magazine? An article? Barely? You're not alone.

Many of us in our culture find we don't have enough time to do what we need to do, let alone what we may want to do for enjoyment, enrichment or recreation. Is this in keeping with God's wishes for our lives?

Exercise 1 : Recreation 101

Give everyone in the study group five minutes to write as many responses as they can to complete this statement: "For fun and relaxation, I like to___."

When they are done, ask participants to number them in order of importance. When they finish this task, ask people to share their top three ways to relax and have fun. Take a yes or no poll: Do you engage in these activities as often as you would like? Ask for explanations.

Then ask each person:

* When was the last time you engaged in your top relaxation activity?

* The second activity?

* The third activity?

* Was it too long a time in between? What are some blocks to doing it more often? How can you help remove them?

* How might your life be different if you could do this activity as often as you might like? Would it be richer? Less stressful? More enjoyable?

* What does this say about your priorities?

Exercise 2: Rediscovering the meaning of recreation

Today the word "recreation" is pretty much a synonym for fun. But when you break it into its constituent parts, you find it is "re-" and "creation." In other words, to create again.

Here is the entry for the word at the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dic tionary/recreation):

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English recreation, from Middle French recreation, from Latin recreation-, recreatio restoration to health, frorarecreare to create anew, restore, refresh, from re- creare to create : refreshment of strength and spirits after work; also : a means of refreshment or diversion.

Using the previous exercise as a guide, ask participants to make a list of their favorite recreation activities and then identify the top five. Then assign each of the top five a score from 1 (low) to 9 (high) based on how much they fulfill the parts of the definition for recreation, as follows:

Create anew

Restore

Refresh of strength

Refresh of spirit

Now add the four scores for each of the five activities and find a ranking for the recreation activities participants enjoy most. Discuss:

* What did you learn about your favorite activities?

* How important are these "recreation" activities in your life? To your health? To your well-being?

* How much priority should you give these activities?

Exercise 3: Plan to rest-exploring Exodus 16:22-30

When the Hebrews were freed from Egypt but not yet in the Promised Land, they learned an important lesson about the Sabbath.

Wandering in the desert, they complained they had nothing to eat. God gave them manna as food every day, but cautioned them that on the sixth day they were to gather enough for two days because gathering was forbidden on the Sabbath. In Exodus 16:22-30, we see how that turned out for them.

Read this Bible text and discuss:

* Why is there no manna on the seventh day? Why do you think God withholds it?

* What does it mean that the work of gathering done on the Sabbath is not rewarded? Do you think when people work 24/7 today they are similarly not blessed? Can you explain?

* Why do they gather twice as much manna on the sixth day?

* Why does Moses tell the people to bake and boil-that is, cook-on the sixth day?

* Do you take a day off on the Sabbath? Why or why not? Would your life be enriched if you did? How or why not?

* How could planning ahead-doing extra work on Saturday, for example, assist you in taking the Sabbath?

* What message does this story give to 21st century Americans? What does it give to you?

Exercise 4: Getting into the Sabbath mind (Mark 2:23-27)

On several occasions Jesus got into trouble with the Pharisees for his unlawful activities on the Sabbath-such as healing people or picking food to eat. With their legalistic outlook, the Pharisees took the prohibitions against work to the extreme.

Jesus modeled balance and commonsense in his understanding of the Sabbath, as the story in Mark 2:23-27 illustrates. Read this text and discuss.

* What was Jesus doing that irked the Pharisees?

* What do you make of the Old Testament illustration that Jesus cites in his defense?

* Jesus concludes that the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. What does that mean to you in your life?

* How does this conclusion overturn the worldview of the Pharisees?

* From this, for whose benefit should we observe the Sabbath? Why?

* Does this help you reframe your priorities for rest, relaxation and recreation? How? Why not?

* Do you sometimes need permission to take time off, relax or have fun? Does this Bible text give you this permission?

Discussion questions:

* Can you think of ways that our 24/7 culture works against people taking adequate time for recreation and restoration?

* How much paid vacation do you get every year? Is it enough to keep you sane and refreshed? What would your life be like if you had more vacation? Does our society value time for recreation and rest? Really value it?