“To be busy is to be engaged in an occupation which makes it inconvenient to be disturbed.” So wrote Janet Erskine Stuart, a woman with ceaseless demands on her time and strength, inasmuch as she was the Mother Superior of an English convent. She followed her Master in this. He was at the disposal of His Father at all times and therefore at the disposal of all whom the Father sent to Him. There was never a sign of moodiness, selfishness, offense, boredom, or busyness. He never made a fuss about anything. This spirit of peace can be in us who are in Him. We can learn to see every minute of our day as His, not ours; every task to which we turn our attention as belonging to Him, not to us, everything that interrupts “our” work as His work which must take precedence. Knowing where we come from and to Whom we are going relieves us of the anxiety that makes us so fussy and so hard to live with.
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:5-7, NIV
**Excerpt originally published in Guided By God’s Promises, pp. 272-273