Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Need To Be Busy

What a past few days!!! Night shifts, day shifts, meetings, papers, family, animals (of the furry kind - not immediate relatives or friends), a conference, a birthday, the gym, basketball, music lessons, and somewhere throughout it all...God-time. Oi! I forgot this was Monday! ...And now I am winding down to prepare myself for some more research and more papers. Does it stop??? Or here is a better question, "Do I want it to stop?"

Am I addicted to busyness? Am I trying to keep busy to avoid something? ....Well, in a way, to be honest, yes. But for the most part, no.


Now it is Wednesday and I am wrapping my brain around the things yet to do...I am not caught up yet.


Day in and day out things keep moving and I am pulled in to participate, contribute where I am called or where I recognize need. We all do it, everyday...well, most of us do it everyday. There are some of us who would love to be busy. Have things to do, places to go, people to see, animals to tend to, or even just the ability to leave the premises for a walk with God. But they can't. They are prisoners of their circumstances. And I don't just mean literal "prisoners". There are others that are bound by illness who can't do as they desire. There are those bound by oppression, slaves to another. Did you know that the human slave trade is alive and well in many countries including Canada and the United States?? Children are especially vulnerable. And don't even get me started on Cambodia or the Congo!!!! Freedoms stolen from us. Our choices vetoed by others. Confinement by illness.

That being said, I want to make you aware of a few things...

1) International Justice Mission at http://www.ijm.org/ This group is doing amazing 'freedom fighting' for the oppressed in the world. Particularly around the sex slave trade. Please take some time to check it out and pray about how you can help them, even if it is spreading the word to others about what they do.

2) Heart and Stroke Foundation at http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.2796497/k.F922/Heart_Disease_Stroke_and_Healthy_Living.htm
Though this is Canadian, heart disease is international and preventative health is the BEST medicine! This site has everything from recipes and risk assessments to multicultural resources. Perhaps you want to make a healthy lifestyle change and need some help...this is a good place to start.

3) Tar Sands in Alberta at http://oilsandstruth.org/ or http://www.tarsandswatch.org/ I wanted to bring this to the attention of my readers, so you will, again, search your hearts and determine to do something to make positive change in this world.

There is so much we take for granted, including our "busy-ness". There is so much we could do for ourselves, in our community, and in the world to keep busy, but in a good and healthy way. Burning ourselves out with activity is not a good thing, but consciously choosing those activities that not only get things done that need to be done, but also make this world a better place for all to live...well, that is our choice and I would like to encourage you to exercise your choice before your ability to choose is taken away. This is a call to action...get busy.

Where there is a need, there is a choice for you to meet that need. We can not meet every need, but with God's guidance, we can meet the need He has placed before us and succeed.
Genesis 14:14-16 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen%2014:14-16;&version=65;
Luke 10: 25-37 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2010:%2025-37;&version=31;

I do not advocate for violence.

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