Vol.8 No.1

Busyness Is a Choice, Not a Location
by Betsy Mayer

I live and work on a rural college campus in Madison County, Virginia. Our postal address is Rapidan, which boasts a post office and a general store. Madison, the county seat, has a population of approximately 300 people. No doubt about it, we live in the country.

Just 70 miles from us begins the Bos-Wash, the metropolitan corridor that spreads from the nation’s capital to Boston in one unbroken conglomerate. But out here in Virginia estate country, we don’t feel  connected to those busy cities and their bustling activities.

People come from many parts of the world to relax and drink in the peace of our beautiful campus and the Virginia Piedmont charm. Canada geese float gracefully on our ponds. Deer graze contentedly on the campus perimeters. Guests enjoy strolling our trails and roads.

But most Hartland staff and students find this calm a little illusive. We are earnest people with global vision and international itineraries. And of course college life is notoriously busy. Some of us jest that this is a country campus with a New York City pace. But I think what we really mean is that a life of frantic frenzy is a choice; it is not a location.

And the inverse is just as true. Serenity is a choice; it is not a location. Yes, some environments are much more conducive to peaceful thoughts than others. But many of us habitually complicate the simplest environments. And while idleness is the devil’s workshop, he also has a workshop for people who excell at overwork.

For the past several years, I have been trying to simplify my lifestyle so that I could be more attentive to God’s still small voice. It has not happened overnight. The busyness is still coming off in layers. For me, it is a constant spiritual quest to prioritize my agenda according to Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Then all these things shall be added unto you.”

My busyness cannot be justified on the basis that I am involved in full-time ministry. Good works become soul-destroying when they rob us of spiritual refreshment and nurture. And how can I help struggling individuals out of life’s swirling current unless my hand firmly clasps the hand of God?

Read the articles in this issue prayerfully. Is God calling you to re-examine your priorities in light of His goals for you? His goals for your family? Is He calling you to simplify so that you can prepare for His soon coming?

The staff at Last Generation request your prayers as we seek heaven’s priorities in our lives. And we are praying for you as well. Drop us a line. We would love to hear your response to this issue.