Book reviews can be long and arduous sometimes.
And when you're "Crazy Busy," who has time for that?
So here are a few quick thoughts and take-a-ways on my reading of Kevin DeYoung's book, Crazy Busy.
- It's a little, "mercifully short" book, yet for me, it took awhile to digest. Anticipate taking time to allow DeYoung's thoughts to marinade in your mind for a bit.
- As I think about my time in full-time ministry, and how "busy" I said or thought I was, so much of it came down to the pride swelling in my heart that eventually became overwhelming. So when DeYoung writes, "So much of our busyness comes down to people's expectations" and then goes on to say later that either we are busy with the wrong things (things that won't matter at the end of time) or we are busy with the right things and the wrong motives, I can relate. It boils down to this: busyness can be - and often is - a pride issue, believing no one else can do things as well as we can. Oh how that belittles God.
- Many things he mentions are not new. Or even new ways of saying old things. Yet, DeYoung's way with words is impeccable. We all know setting priorities is a thing. And this was a good reminder: "Stewarding my time is not selfishly pursuing only the things I like to do. It's about effectively serving others in the ways I'm best able to serve and in the ways I am most uniquely called to serve." He goes on to say, which I am grateful he recognized, "caring for people is wildly inefficient."
- Though I'm not a parent, I hope I will go back and re-read this portion when the time comes. He remarks that people are so busy with their kids - essentially making them idols. Harried with feeding them organic foods and getting them to soccer practice - that they forget the Bible's call in Deuteronomy 6 to be sharing God's truth all the time. Be busy with the right things, essentially, is what he says.
- The last two chapters are the best two chapters. Too many good quotes to count. DeYoung writes:
- "If you have creativity, ambition, and love, you will be busy."
- "The busyness that's bad is not the busyness of work, but the busyness that works hard at the wrong things."
- "You will suffer if you are committed to people."
- "If we love others, how will we not be busy and burdened at least some of the time?"
- "We have to believe that the most significant opportunity every day is the opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus. We won't rearrange out priorities unless we really believe this is the best one."
- "Making consistent time for the Word of God and prayer is the place to start because being with Jesus is the only thing strong enough to pull us away from the busyness."
May I never be working so hard at the wrong things that it overshadows sitting at the feet of Jesus everyday.
Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem is for sale on Amazon.
