Have you noticed how often the answer to “How are you?” is simply “Busy!”? In our current culture, a full calendar has become a badge of honor, a visible proof of importance, security, and significance. Many people, including Christians, are searching for purpose and finding it in the relentless hustle of this life. Influencers, social media, and self-help gurus urge us to chase money, build empires, and create our own destiny through constant productivity. Yet for most, this path only leads to exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, and a quiet hopelessness that lingers even in the midst of “success.”
Cultivating our relationship with Christ and with those around us is neither easy nor convenient in a “crazy busy” culture, but it is essential for every follower of Jesus. In a society (and even in some churches) that glorifies relentless activity, the pursuit of constant motion is quietly undermining genuine spiritual growth. By filling our lives with programs, meetings, notifications, and noise, we mistake frantic movement for spiritual maturity, leaving our faith shallow and our souls malnourished. The truth is, we have more time than we think. The real problem is not a lack of hours in the day; it is a matter of devotion and priority at the heart level.
The Myth of Modern Busyness
First, let’s ask an honest question: Are we really all that busy? Research done by economists Mark Aguiar and Erik Hurst showed that between 1965 and 2003, people in the United States spent less time working and enjoyed more leisure time than previous generations.1 That trend has largely continued. According to the latest American Time Use Survey data2, Americans still average about 5.1 hours per day on leisure and sports activities, which is more than enough time for rest, relationships, and discipleship. Yet we feel busier than ever. Why?
One major reason is the impact of technology on daily life. Smartphones, email, virtual meetings, group chats, and endless notifications keep us tethered to work and information long after the official workday ends. The boundaries between “on” and “off” have blurred beyond recognition. We answer emails while eating dinner with our families, scroll through social media while playing with our kids in the yard, and join late-night calls that bleed into what should be restorative time. Technology promised to save us time; instead, it has fragmented our attention and filled every spare moment with digital demands. Leisure itself often becomes another form of consumption, turning into passive screen time rather than true refreshment.
Another reason is our obsession with schedules, calendars, appointments, children’s sports, extracurricular programs, and even classes. “Restful” activities get scheduled like tasks: we block out time for Scripture reading, booking a massage, or penciling in a family worship night. This is the paradox of modern busyness: All these good and necessary things keep us perpetually “on,” even when we are supposedly “off.” The result? Very little room remains for the deep, unhurried soul care our spirits desperately need.
We Are Dust
Here is something we must remember in the middle of our frantic pace: We are not the omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent heroes we sometimes imagine ourselves to be. We are dust (Psalm 103:14), fearfully and wonderfully made, yet finite and limited by design. God Himself established the rhythm of work and rest at creation (Exodus 20:8-11; Genesis 2:2-3). No amount of hustle, no matter how spiritual it feels, can overcome the limits He has placed on us.
Psalm 127:2 reminds us, “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” When we refuse rest, we trade childlike trust in God’s daily provision for the dangerous illusion of self-sufficiency. We say we believe God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17), yet we live as if everything depends on our own effort. We exchange trust in our Father for trust in ourselves, and our hearts remain unsatisfied because only Christ can truly fill them.
Jesus Himself modeled and invited a different way. To His exhausted disciples he said, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (Mark 6:31). To the weary and burdened He still calls, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The God who created us, sustains us, and knows our frame has also provided the way to rest, not through denial of our limits, but through joyful dependence on Him through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. True strength is found in dependence, not in pretending we have none.
As Kevin DeYoung wisely reminds us in Crazy Busy, “Busyness does not mean you are a faithful or fruitful Christian. It only means you are busy, just like everyone else. And like everyone else, your joy, your heart, and your soul are in danger.”3 Even when we pack our evenings with church programs and “spiritual” activities, we can still starve our souls if those activities crowd out the slow, steady work of abiding in Christ.
The Hidden Cost
This trap is especially subtle and dangerous inside the church. In many congregations, we have quietly traded the slow, costly companionship of biblical community and one-on-one discipleship for big-group programs, weekend conferences, volunteer slots, and midweek studies that conveniently fit into already overloaded schedules. A shallow Bible study or serving opportunity can feel productive and “spiritual,” but the swap comes at a steep hidden cost. It reinforces the cultural virtue of busyness and convinces us that “church busyness” equals healthy discipleship.
True discipleship, however, has never been measured by a full calendar. It is measured by how deeply the gospel reorders our hearts and realigns our lives around the unhurried rhythms of grace. Jesus didn’t disciple the crowds with programs; He poured His life into a small group of ordinary men over three years of shared meals, long walks, honest conversations, and ordinary moments.
When serving or attending church events simply fills another open slot, we ignore God’s clear call to Sabbath rest while adding more “spiritual activity” to our already packed lives. The result? We may look spiritually active, posting about the latest conference or checking off another volunteer shift, yet remain anxious, self-reliant, and largely unchanged, still running on our own strength instead of resting in Christ’s finished work.
This is the danger DeYoung warned about. Neglecting the care of our souls, even while staying busy every night of the week inside the four walls of the church, leaves us spiritually malnourished. Our joy fades. Our hearts grow hard. Our souls wither.
Conclusion
The trap of busyness is real, and its effects are devastating. It promises significance but delivers emptiness. It offers productivity but steals our souls. In a culture that glorifies hustle, even when it wears the clothes of ministry, we must recognize that the problem is not primarily a lack of time. It is a lack of devotion to the One who gives us time in the first place.
We were made for more than motion. We were made for communion with Christ and with His people. The good news is that God has not left us in this trap. In the next article in this series, we will explore the recovery of true discipleship: practical, gospel-centered ways to step off the treadmill of busyness and into the restful, fruitful life Jesus invites us to live.
Until then, may we have the courage to ask the uncomfortable question: Are we really too busy for what matters most? Or have we simply filled our lives with what feels urgent while neglecting what is eternal? The choice, and the grace to choose differently, is ours in Christ.
- Aguiar, Mark and Hurst, Erik. Measuring Trends in Leisure: The Allocation of Time Over Five Decades. https://www.markaguiar.com/files/leisuretrends.pdf ↩︎
- American Tim Use Survey. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf ↩︎
- DeYoung, Kevin. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. Crossway, 2013. Chapter 2, Logos edition. ↩︎
