Too Busy...For What?

By Rosie Handby and Helen Holland

As a mother of two active boys I’m often surprised at how busy life is.  It’s funny, but when you’re in the work force you think you’ll have so much time on your hands once you’re at home with kids.  Coffee shops, decorating, gourmet meals, gardening …  Then once you have a baby it becomes, “Well when they’re toddlers it will be easier…”  Once they’re at kinder we think we’ll hit the shops when they go to school.  … Sound familiar?

The fact is, when one stage of life is over, the next one does not wait for us to catch up!  It’s just as full of things that need attention as the previous stages.  There seems to be a lot of pressure for kids to be involved in every developmental program available – programs for physical fitness and co-ordination, for academic enhancement, for social development, etc.  Mums are often the taxi service to all the programs and it’s easy to feel pressured to keep up or our kids may miss out.  Unfortunately, when kids are kept too busy there is no room for some really important “down time” -   that time so many of us used to have when we were young, just sitting around and quietly reflecting while we did nothing more than make daisy chains or lie on the grass outside.

Social commentators, educators and academics all seem to be pointing to this lack of reflection in our young people because of the trend towards filling every moment with “something” busy.  In essence, reflection is “thinking” in a spiritual way – it is pondering who you are and what your place is in the world.  It is taking time to consider how issues are affecting you.  In this way, it seems many children and young people are growing up ill-equipped to face the challenges of life in the 21st century.  I wonder if, as mothers, we actually take the time to consider the importance of this area in our children’s development – their spiritual wellbeing?   Matthew 16:26 says, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul?”

In my experience as a mother I have seen the incredible benefits in placing attention on a child’s spiritual development.  There are so many things happening around us that cause our children to be full of fear and anxiety.  How do we help them in this?  How can our children live in peace and feel secure in the world as it is today?  I’ve seen a peace come into my own children as their spiritual development has become a priority in our household.  They have come to know that the Lord God is watching over them no matter what the circumstances around them are.  I urge you to consider making this kind of spiritual development a priority in your children’s lives.

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber.” Psalm 121:1-3