Today Kyle Idleman discusses the second guest in Luke’s account of the Parable of the Great Banquet. The second guest has purchased five yoke of oxen and wants to try them out. His excuse reveals his true concern is with work, responsibility, and busyness- all a hedge against emptiness.
Pastor Idleman cites a June 2012 article in the New York Times titled “The Busy Trap.” The article pointed out that the default answer to “How are you doing?” is “Busy!” “So busy!” or “Crazy busy!” Busyness has become a source of pride phrased as pseudo-complaint. However, as the article notes, busyness is our own undoing:
“Busyness serves as a kind of hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day. . . . [we’re] addicted to busyness and dread what [we] might have to face in its absence.”
Busyness, Kyle adds, is driven by the vacuum inside us. Its symptoms are jam-packed calendars, distracted minds, and oversaturated lives. The problem is that when the time arrives for the great banquet where God addresses our greatest needs, we can’t find any room for it. We can’t afford to busy ourselves to places even more distant from the God who loves us.
Today’s question (from Kyle): In what ways has God shown up to fill your emptiness? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The filled life”
