Now beginning our fourth week of this Lenten season, I am continuing to seek solace and wisdom in understanding the things I need to release.
On this edition of “Becoming Today” in this “Lenten Letter”, I am seeking to ‘give up’ the unnecessary habit of being busy for busy’s sake.
Hey Rochelle,
Yeah it’s me again. I want to thank you for your support and insights as I continue this exercise in reflection and realization of the things I need to sacrifice. Today I need to talk out why I struggle with the temptation to force myself to be so busy. Too busy at times and why even though I know the behavior is not called for or required I still seem to get caught in the trap.
One that at times I can’t walk out.
Why?
Because I see too much, that needs to be done
Why can’t I see
What it’s doing to me
When I don’t believe what the Word has to say?
Yes I know the Scriptures reveal that being busy for the sake of busyness is uncalled for.
In Psalm 46:10, the Lord instructs us to “Be still, and know that I am God!…”
Yet I still want to do much more for Him despite knowing that “be still” comes from a Hebrew expression defined as to “relax,” “let go,” or “stop.” It implies us undertaking the act of surrender and to actively release striving.
Another heart-mind disconnect, I know.
So how do I move beyond this? How do I press on without adding to my to do list?
I know, it’s a bit of a conundrum for me, so any suggestion you have, please let me know.
I also have come to learn that I need to overcome busyness, because it’s a false product of the world. Our culture attempts to reinforce that we are worthless or slackers if we are not producing something every minute of the day.
Of course that false belief is related to the fact that we should be producing something for someone else and tricks us into believing that self care is selfish.
We try to blame outside forces for our busyness. The ‘job demands’ or ‘the kids will fail if we don’t’ or ‘people will talk if you don’t’.
Well they’ll talk anyway, so let’s throw out that rationalization right away.
Busyness prevents us from truly engaging with others and building more meaningful relationships. It’s too easy an excuse to ignore issues or impactful conversations. It inflates a false sense of self importance and causes our ego and not our Spirit to take the lead.
See I know all these things, yet several times a week…. at least… I find myself stepping into that trap.
Perhaps it’s my propensity to self criticize or feel that I have something that I have to prove. Both additional behaviors I am working on releasing. So how do I let go and surrender them before I again find myself in those periods of burnout, exhaustion and separation?
As we speak I am recalling the words of Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”.
Great advice, now I just need to be still and follow it.
Any tips on how to get that started?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Rochelle
Now before we go, I have something else I need to talk about today.
Last week I reminded you on several occasions of the importance of having your voice heard. The need to give up remaining silent, to stop believing someone else will handle “that”.
As I witnessed too many headlines about attacks by elected officials on children, families and micro minorities, Spirit reminded me of what I wrote one year ago today in a conversation titled, “What if….? It Has!”
At that time I noted, “Before you dismiss the news as ‘that doesn’t relate to me’, realize once a precedent is set, it can then be adapted to fit precisely you”.
If directives, executive orders and other decrees are allowed to stand in this issue, what’s next?
What if?
What if suddenly someone decided it would be a great political tool to prevent left handed people from eating in public?
Sounds ridiculous. But while I haven’t fully examined the numbers I’m certain there are more openly left handed people in this nation than there are transgender children.
If a precedent is set, then there will be a basis in the “land of the free” to allow a single person’s will or whims to make you just that much less free.
Then there will be the next person seeking election who not only supports him, but says it’s not enough! Left handed people should be mandated to wear brightly colored gloves to warn others of their abhorrent and deviant behavior.
Sounds ridiculous.
However the reality is there are probably some right now, saying I support that idea.
Think it can’t happen? To a lesser degree it has. I lived it.
I was born left-handed. I was forced by public school officials to stop “doing that”.
I was mandated by official directive to write with my right hand. Some even went as far to reinforce a false narrative that being left-handed was a sign of the devil.
So I was forced, in the light of day, to write right handed.
At night, hidden away in “my closet” when I had to produce all those thousands of sentences like “I will not write left handed”, I did so left handed.
In fact, their infringements upon my rights to live as I was created, empowered me to become ambidextrous. So in my view, I won .
I triumphed over the nonsensical.
I championed against what was bordering on tyrannical abuse of a child, I raged against the machine by learning how to write with three pens in each hand, and gained the ability to write six sentences simultaneously in less time than most could set one on paper.
Then assisted covertly by my left-handed Grandfather, who was subjected to the same misinformation campaigns decades earlier, I was taught about carbon paper. Now I could do ten sheets on each side, 20 pages, 60 lines at once.
Where there is a will there’s a way.
Attacks like the ones I’ve shared today can be overcome.
It all begins with us. Each one of us.
We must decide to take action . Stand up for what is right. Shine light onto the darkness that is attempting to restrict us. Then we must take that action. Do it. Publicly.
I believe I have done that here today.
You don’t know what you don’t know, but once you do, that’s when the work begins.
We all share in the responsibility of being the change we want to see. Of co-creating our world for the better.
It’s at the very heart and soul of our shared path.
“The Essence of Becoming” is “the process of coming to be something or of passing into a state”. Coming to be always, “Becoming”. Growing, developing and shifting into an attitude and daily practice of always, “Becoming”.
How do I, as an individual and we as a society, focus on “Becoming” what we are truly destined to be?
How do we become all we can be?
How do we further enrich our lives and those of our families, friends, communities and society as a whole? “
Think about those questions and please share any ideas you have.
Plus I am continuing to encourage you to consider doing your own Lenten Letters exercise. Just because I am doing them daily, you don’t need to, just set your own standards and goals as for the frequency.
You could also opt to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section. Or if you’d like to raise questions or share in a less public manner, you can always send a message through our Contact page.
Think about it. Pray about it. Meditate on it. Consider it and then decide to join us for another in our ongoing series of life lessons in real time, tomorrow on our next edition of “Becoming Today”.
Becoming Today with Rochelle Jeanette 