One of the things we deal with today is this ubiquitous idea that being busy is good. In part, this may be due to the fact that we believe busy people are important people and thus deserve a high level of respect. And because we also want respect, we must strive to be busy.

Perhaps you've noticed, as I have, that one of our contemporary buzzwords is "multi-tasking" - if you can do several things at once you're smarter than the rest of us. Thankfully, at least with driving cars, this ideal has been called into question. Just this week we've been reminded that driving requires our full attention - it is not wise to multi-task behind the wheel of your car. And this isn't just a new problem brought about by dialing and talking on wireless cell phones. People have been seen driving while putting on make-up, while eating and drinking, while reading the newspaper, applying finger-nail polish - one man was seen changing his shirt while cruising in the fast lane! Furthermore, this week's Washington Post (April 21) study of driving distractions indicated an even larger problem when it comes to the causes of accidents, that is, drowsiness. And why are people driving drowsy? No doubt about it, in large measure, it's due to over-busy lifestyles.

Could it be said we are killing ourselves with busyness?

It seems that many of us are very much like a basset hound named Tattoo. One evening his owner inadvertently shut Tattoo's leash in the car door and took off for a drive. Fortunately, a motorcycle officer noticed the car with what looked like something dragging behind it. Later, the officer reported that when he got a closer look, he saw this "basset hound picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could." So he chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued, but not before the dog had reached a speed of over 20 miles per hour, rolling over several times in the process.

I wonder, is that the picture of our daily lives, "picking them up and putting them down as fast as we can"?

Not only is an over-busy lifestyle dangerous to our driving health, it is also dangerous to our heart health.

Take for example the story of Tami Speers, a 40-year-old mother and program manager for an aircraft manufacturing company in Arkansas. Driven to succeed in a very competitive, predominantly male industry, she felt she needed to work harder and longer than her peers in order to keep up. Tami's days would often begin at 4:30 a.m. and instead of going home to relax afterwards, she then went home to her second job -- raising her two children.

One day while at work, Tami felt tired and nauseous. She continued to work for an exhausting 13 hours that day, and when she arrived home, her condition worsened. After hours of these symptoms, including profuse sweating and vomiting, Tami's husband took her to the hospital where doctors confirmed that she was having a heart attack.

While in the emergency room, Tami's health continued to deteriorate and her heart stopped beating. Doctors immediately started to resuscitate her and administer life-saving medications to get her heart pumping normally again. Although they were able to revive Tami, doctors feared that she would not live through the night and called her family into the room to say their last goodbyes.

However, Tami was one of the fortunate ones, she survived this revenge of busyness, altered her lifestyle, and today is heart-healthy. (http://www.mendedhearts.org)

However, we believe that the quality of one's life doesn’t just have to do with physical well-being, it also must include spiritual well being. In fact, a sick soul very rarely dwells in a well body.

Pastor John Ortberg tells about the time he called a friend to ask for some spiritual direction, and during the conversation described the pace of his life. He then asked his friend what was needed to become spiritually healthy.

After a long pause, his friend said, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

There was another long pause, and then John said, "Okay, I've written that one down. That's a good one. Now what else is there?"

There was another long pause.

"There is nothing else," was the answer. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."

Remember the sign? "SLOW DOWN - FLAGMAN AHEAD."

Of course the immediate follow-up question would be, "How can this be done?"

You know how it goes. When you go to the doctor and describe your symptoms, he leans back in his chair, rubs his chin thoughtfully and says, "It's apparent that your problem is that there's too much stress in your life - you've got to reduce your stress." And now you're even more stressed, for now you have the added stress of getting rid of the stress!

Here are some practical suggestions to help you slow down during your daily routine:

Wherever you're going, force yourself to take the slower route.

For 8 1/2 years I served as pastor of the church in Gloucester, Massachusetts, located on Cape Ann north of Boston. This fishing town of 27,000 was actually located on an island - to get from Gloucester to West Gloucester, cars had to go across a draw bridge, which during the warmer months was very frequently opened to allow boats to pass in and out of the harbor. Consequently, motorists would have to wait, sometimes for as much as 10 or 15 minutes.

However, there was a way around this bottleneck by taking the route along the river to state highway Route 128 where, some 40 years previously, a high bridge had been built to provide faster access to the island. The "way around" would be 10 or 12 miles and take 15 or 20 minutes. For many people, it was worth it, just because they could keep moving, and thus fool themselves into thinking they were being productive - they just couldn't tolerate idleness.

For me, this bothered me the most when conducting our summer tent crusade at Stage Fort Park, the site of the Pilgrim's first landing, before they sailed on to Plymouth. At first I found myself fretting like everyone else, until I read a newspaper editorial on the subject, and decided to accept the advice and enjoy the wait. I'd turn off the engine and the radio, breathe in the cool salt filled air, listen to the cries of the sea gulls, and allow myself to be mesmerized by the constant movement of the water in the harbor - I even came to enjoy watching the passing yachts, laying aside my former hostile feelings because they had so insensitively interrupted the very important busyness of my day!

So this was just one way to force a slow down. However, there aren't many draw bridges in New Jersey, so what are some other ways?

When driving on the Interstate, try purposely driving in the slow lane. Instead of passing every other car in every other lane, say a little prayer as they go by, asking God to bless them. When traffic comes to a standstill, accept it as a generous gift from the Lord. Incidentally, it's important that traffic periodically be stopped, especially on the Garden State - otherwise the name "Parkway" would make no sense at all!

When going to Wal-Mart, don't look for a parking spot near the door, find one far away and take a leisurely stroll. After making your purchase, get into the longest checkout line, and then let a couple of people go in front of you.

Avoid all drive-up windows.

When you go to the hospital for a visit, walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator - one side benefit will be that you won't get your foot stuck in the elevator door!

Speaking of walking, when was the last time you took a walk in the woods? It will amaze you how much good thinking - or if you're with someone, how much good conversation - can be had when you slow down to a walk.

When eating, be civilized - instead of your fingers, use a fork, and put it down after each bite and actually chew your food!

And here's an idea - read a book! Some of you are old enough to remember what one looks like. How about even taking a little time to read the Bible. And when you're reading, do what you do when you eat with a fork and knife - slow down and chew your food, i.e., stop and think about what you are reading. Abraham Lincoln's law partner reportedly said, "Lincoln read less and thought more than any man in his sphere in America."

You know what? With our too readily accepted over-busy lifestyles, I think that, although we were created to be like God, we're becoming more like Satan. Did you ever notice how God is described at the very beginning of the Bible? This is what is said in Genesis 3:8 - "he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day." On the other hand, here's how Satan described himself when God asked, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered, "From going to and fro throughout the earth." (Job 1:6, 7)

Ironically, the transliteration of the Hebrew word for "going to and fro" is "shoot," and properly means to "push forth," or figuratively, "to lash, or to run to and fro". In the book of Amos there's a sad prophecy using this same word, a prophecy which seemingly is being fulfilled in our own day,

"Behold, the days come saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." (Amos 8:12, 13)

Paul setting forth a vision of Christian maturity uses similar language when he writes, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." (Ephesians 4:14)

Why is there a famine of the word? Why are we so prone to be tossed about by every wind of doctrine? Because we are way too busy! We're too busy to think, contemplate or meditate; we're too busy to "R and A" - reflect and anticipate.

But why is this so hard for us, to do this, to slow down?

1. Pastor Ortberg points out, too many people fear that if they don't rush, they will accomplish less. He goes on to say that, in fact, researchers have found that there is simply no correlation between hurry and productivity.

2. Furthermore, we've bought into the fallacy that "time is money," and obviously money is the most important thing! However, it's just not true. Time is time, and money is money. By the way, does your car talk to you? Once I was getting into someone else's car and suddenly this bland voice intoned, "Your door is ajar." Before realizing how silly it is to talk back to a car, I shot back, "No it isn't, my door is a door, it is not a jar!" In the same way, time is not money. One huge difference between time and money is that money can be replaced - time cannot. And what a shame it is to waste all our time on material that will perish, and end up neglecting what will last for eternity.

3. Thirdly, perhaps we drive ourselves to be super busy because we're afraid we'll be labeled "lazy." Steven Covey pointed out how so many people are working hard to climb the ladder of success, only to find out later that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. Being so busy that there's no time to consider why we're doing what we're so busy about, may in the end, be discovered to be vanity.

But why slow down?

Remember the verse we began with? "Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" (Mark 6:31)

1. It's clear that Jesus was concerned about the over-busyness of His disciples, and we believe He still is, for as we know, He is "the same yesterday, today and forever".

2. Notice also that their hyperactivity was getting in the way of their own nourishment. And we're not just dealing with food for the body, but also for the soul. Mealtime is as important for good food as it is for good conversation.

A recent bit of good news is that according to a Gallup poll, 75% of families eat together 3 or more times a week. People are catching on to the idea that, as one researcher pointed out, "there is a link between frequent family dinners and positive teen outcomes. Teens who regularly eat meals with their family are less likely to get into fights, think about suicide, smoke, drink, use drugs, and are likely to initiate sexual activity later, and have better academic performance than teens that do not." (http://www.childtrends.org)

Another survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (Columbia University) found a recent rise in the number of youth (ages 12 to 17) who said they ate dinner with their families at least five times a week - 58 percent last year, up from 47 percent in 1998.

3. We also find that Jesus led His disciples to a quiet place to get some rest. This may be the greatest challenge for us, to find a quiet place - as our population increases, quiet places decrease, and we have to work even harder to find them. Also, notice that there's a real connection between "quiet place" and "rest." (In relation to the previous point about eating meals together, it's a good idea to eat without the unnecessary background noise of TV, radio or stereo.)

4. Part of the purpose of Jesus was that the disciples would have an opportunity for some quality time together with their Master. The same must be true for us today. Though we still live in the world, He bids us come away to spend some time alone with Him.

There's a fascinating human-interest story in the Old Testament about two messengers (II Samuel 18:19-33). One, named Ahimaaz, begged his commanding officer, Joab, to let him run with a message to King David. But the General said "No" because Ahimaaz had little to report. Instead, Joab sent another runner - interestingly, we don't even know his name; he was only identified as "a Cushite." After this messenger ran off, Ahimaaz once again begged to go and Joab, with some exasperation said, "Well run then." Ahimaaz was a very fast runner and reached David first, but he had no answer to the question, "Is my son safe?" He ran fast, but he had nothing worthwhile to offer.

Is that the way it is with us today?

But let's go back to the road-sign - "SLOW DOWN - FLAGMAN AHEAD."

Our last question could be, Who is the flagman? Who is the one who provides us with directions on the road of life? We believe it to be the Holy Spirit. Are we slowing down enough that we will receive the message?

1. What was the symptom of over-busyness that caused Jesus to urge His disciples to get away for quiet and rest?

2. Besides the one mentioned, what other road-signs could be viewed as pointers Christians?

3. What are some reasons we have come to believe that the busy life is the superior life?

4. What are some examples of good multi-tasking and some of not so good multi-tasking?

5. In the story told of Tattoo, the basset hound dragged behind his owner's car, how are we like him in addition to "picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could"?

6. How does the stress caused by a hectic life-style impact our physical well being?

7. What are some practical ways we can "proactively" cause ourselves to slow down?

8. How are we possibly more like Satan than God when comparing Genesis 3:8 and Job 1:6, 7?

9. If the sad prophecy of Amos is being fulfilled in our own day, why is there "a famine of hearing the words of the LORD?" (Amos 8:12, 13)

10. Why is it so hard for us to slow down?

11. What would be some benefits of families eating meals together?

12. What is required to find rest for the soul - this side of the grave?

13. What does the story of the two runners in II Samuel 18:19-33 teach us about success?

14. For the Christian, who is the flagman?