A “Thought for the Day” for Black Cat Radio on 8th June 2019
When I’m not doing church stuff, I’m self-employed doing proofreading for students with learning difficulties like dyslexia. And the funny thing about my job is that it’s either massively busy, because the students have all got deadlines at once, or there’s nothing to do at all. Sometimes I grumble a bit when it’s busy but actually I find it harder when there’s nothing to do.
Like a lot of people these days I can fall into the idea that I have to be busy all the time. If I’m not I can end up feeling like I’m somehow not contributing or wasting time or just not doing as well as everyone else who’s rushing about all over the place. And it gets a bit competitive sometimes, with people tying to out-boast each other about how much they have to do.
Life is very busy for a lot of people these days, with pressure at work and children to bring up, but the idea that we have to be seen to be doing something all the time is a very modern one and I wonder if it’s really all that helpful. There’s a lot to be said for being someone who stops for a bit to think or listen to a friend or do something we enjoy. And there’s no need to feel bad about taking some time to stop and breathe and enjoy ourselves – it’s an important part of being a healthy human being.
There’s a reason why the Bible tells us to take a day each week in which we do no work – it’s because it’s good for us. So perhaps we could all try taking a bit of time off, even if we can’t always manage a whole day, and discover the joy of being a human being rather than a human doing.
