Busy Work

When I was eleven years old, the public school teachers in my district went
on strike to call for much-needed improved wages. The students missed a few
weeks of school as a result. To make up some of the missed days, the school
board instituted something I’d never heard of before: Saturday school. For
one month, a modified version of school would take place for a half-day on
Saturdays. I attended the first session, only to discover that merely a
handful of students had shown up. We spent the day watching videos and
playing a few games as a substitute teacher kept an eye on us.

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Not only had that day bored me (and my classmates too), but we hadn’t
accomplished anything either. So, the following Saturday, I asked my
parents to let me stay home. I earned good grades and (mostly) enjoyed
school, but I judged spending a Saturday indoors doing busy work as a waste
of time. Just going to the school building for a few hours simply so it
could be called a “school day” seemed pointless. My parents agreed. On that
Saturday, I played outside and helped with chores around our house instead.

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I didn’t really consider whether I was being a good steward of my life when
I begged to skip Saturday school. But as we grow up, we realize our time is
limited and it matters how we spend it. Once we begin a relationship with
God by trusting Jesus to save us from our sins, we can then honor the Lord
by stewarding the lives He has entrusted to us. As He leads us, we can
learn to make the most of the days He gives us. In addition to being
productive, we can also invest our time in relationships, in relaxation,
and in fun. As followers of Jesus, we are free from the idea of simply
being busy for busyness’s sake. Instead, we can rest in His love for us and
in the work He has already done through His death and resurrection, and we
can choose how we spend our days in light of those truths. • Allison Wilson
Lee

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• How do you decide what to prioritize in your life?

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• What distracts you from investing your time in what’s most important?

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• How can knowing that we belong to and are loved by Jesus help us become
better stewards of our time?

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Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm
90:12 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Deuteronomy 5:13-Deuteronomy 5:15; Mark 2:23-Mark 2:28; Ephesians 5:15-Ephesians 5:17; Psalm 90:12