Chinese meaning sheds light on busyness

[notice]A monthly column by farmer, preacher and writer for Jesus, Angus Buchan[/notice]

Early this morning my wife and I had the privilege of talking to a dear old Christian friend, who is doing an amazing job taking care of the poor and the needy. We haven’t seen each other for many years and we were apologising to one another for being too busy, that we hardly even have a chance to speak on the phone any more. This friend of ours looked up the meaning of the word busy in the Chinese language and it has two meanings. The first meaning is HEART and the second meaning is ANNIHILATION.

When we get too busy we lose heart for our fellow men. In fact, our heart starts to become annihilated through busyness and we know that the devil himself wants to kill the heart. You see you will never win a soul to Christ through intellect.We always talk about the heart shot. Ask any professional hunter and he will tell you that he will never shoot a buffalo or an elephant in the head. He will always go for the heart shot.

Speaking to the heart
We as preachers want to see men and women breakdown and come to the cross. It will always be when we speak to the heart. When we speak to the head, we have an intellectual conversation, like the Pharisees would do, but when we speak the heart of a man than the Holy Spirit takes over.

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If we are so busy that we are losing heart for fellowmen, then we are on a downward spiral and this is exactly what I believe was happening to the disciples when Jesus said to them Mark 6:31-32 (NKJV), “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.”

The Son of God, Himself saw that the disciples who were doing “good works”, praying for the sick, counselling the poor and needy, taking care of the widows and orphans, were working themselves to a standstill. They did not even have time to eat physical food and Jesus could see that there was a big collision coming along the road. So He told them to stop and come aside, and they went to a deserted place where there was no one else.

Take time out
If Jesus said that to His disciples how much more should you and I take time out to smell the roses. To sit in the afternoon under a nice shady tree and watch the sun going down, with your loved one and your children. To take time out to greet that car guard and thank him for the job he’s doing. To stop and speak to that old lady and maybe help her across the road with all her groceries. Not to be so busy sitting in that plane or in that bus or in that tube with your laptop, that you forgot to see an old gentleman standing because there were no seats left, instead of getting up and letting him have your seat.

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It is so easy to forget what it really is that God has called you and I for in this world. It is to be ambassadors for Jesus. Jesus was never too busy for people. He even spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well, which was never done amongst the Jewish people, but you see, through Him speaking to that individual she went back and told the whole village what had happened and as a result the whole village was converted that day.

If you are too busy, you will forget the individual and that might cost you everything, especially when it means your family.

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God bless you as you start to rectify your lifestyle.
Angus Buchan