The Magic of "Why"?

TOPIC: Busy?

SCRIPTURE:"...and he who hurries his footsteps errs.!" (Proverbs 19:2b)

OBSERVATION: When you're in a hurry, you will inevitably miss important details. If you've lived long at all, you know that even some of the most minute details are critically important.

APPLICATION: As I read over this verse today I was reminded of a book I read a couple of years back entitled "Dangerous Wonder". The author shares a story about being at a Retreat Center with his wife. The story goes like this:
"Karla and I spent a week at Daybreak Retreat Center. We were soul weary. We had come to the point where our busy lives were 'putting our souls in danger.' Desperate for our souls to be mended, we gathered in the bitter December cold for our first meeting. We had come with a group of our friends and were anxious to meet Henri Nouwen and Sue Mosteller, the leaders of our retreat.
The 1st meeting brough together our group of 8, 3 workers at L'Arche, and 3 mentally and /or physically challenged residents of the community. I had read many of Henri Nouwen's books and fully expected his remarks at our 1st meeting to be life changing. During the obligatory introductions, I had admitted to the group that my busyness was draining my soul of life - leaving it lifeless and weak. Although Henri's opening remarks were interesting I was disappointed. I expected profound insights. What I received was the logistical instructions for the week.
After the meeting, somewhat dismayed, I was confronted by a handsome resident of L'Arche. I'll call him Robert. Robert was in his 40's, and although his appearance was normal, his vocabulary wasn't - it was limited to maybe a few hundred words. He stood uncomfortably close, his face within inches of mine. With his eyes focused directly on mine he said,

'BUSY?'

Startled with his concise summary of what I had admitted earlier, I said partonizinly, 'Yes, Robert, I'm very busy.'

'Too busy?' he continued.

'Yes Robert,' I admitted rather sheepishly, 'I am too busy.'
I will never forget what happened next. He moved even closer (his eyes revealing his sadness for me) and asked with a sincerity I have seldom experienced,

'Why?'

My eyes filled with tears. Robert, a man with a very limited vocabulary, had asked the one question I had been afraid to ask. Somehow he knew that the solution to my weariness was hidden somewhere in the answer to his question - a question I was afraid to ask and no one else had.

Why was I so busy?

I discoverd that I was still hanging on to the belief that God's affection for me was measured by my activity for Him. The more things I did for God, the more He would love me, OR so my insecurities kept telling me. Robert, in his childlike way, could see my insecurity, could feel my need to prove to God I was worth loving. By asking me a simple question, Robert started me on a journey toward intimacy with my Heavenly Father. Amazingly, Robert's risky curiosity peered deep into my soul, enabling me to begin hearing what God had been spending my lifetime trying to say to me, 'I love you, questins and all, with an unconditional, no-strings-attached love.' "


So

What about you?

Are you too busy?

Why?

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for this all important reminder that you absolutely, completely, and totally love me period.

For more great stories like this one,
I encourage you to purchase and read
Dangerous Wonder (By Michael Yaconelli)
The Adventure of Childlike Faith


A Final Quote (By Alexander Graham Bell)
"Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do so, you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before."