Too Busy to Breathe!

Spreading The Truth One Byte At A Time

By Ron Bender© 2008, 2013

My Best Friend's name is also Ron, I have known him some 30 plus years. Over that time span I have joked endlessly about his lateness at nearly every meeting, get together, or Bar-B-Q. He tries to make joke of it, “I’m sorry. I guess I need 25 hours in my day!” Invariably he was late for meetings and events because he was always trying to squeeze one more thing into his day.

Ron complained about having too much to do and being tired of rushing around all the time. He thought that his hurried, overcrowded life was inevitable for him who had a family and lived in the 21st Century. I too am a adrenaline junkie in recovery myself, I knew better! So I spoke the truth in love to him, “I think you like being in a hurry and doing so much. Maybe the feeling of urgency and importance energizes you. And besides it drives you finger-drumming, foot-tapping crazy when you have to wait for people! My Time is Just as valuable to me as yours is to you. Think About that when you leave me waiting."

To be sure, from time to time Ron had sought to be nourished by the God of Peace, like on extended family vacations or spiritual retreats. But it would always take him a long time to enter into a relaxed state of being and once he returned to his daily responsibilities he would go right back to his hurried self. Even more from all the time he had taken away from his "busy" schedule.

Leave a Margin

After a number of weeks of talking with me about his anxious pace of life, Ron realized that he needed to make a lifestyle change. To enjoy more of God’s peace he would have to give his productivity before the Lord. To appreciate God’s grace moment-by-moment he would have to slow down his speed. Ron needed to learn to live with margin.

Just as a page like this one has margins of white space around the edges, between paragraphs, and even a little bit between the lines and words so also our lives can have spaces. We can learn to add margin in our day by…

• Leaving early for engagements
• Making fewer commitments
• Scheduling breaks
• Turning off the television or computer to sit quietly
• Keeping a Sabbath during the week
• Driving slower on the roads
• And even walking slow enough to feel the sun, see the flowers, hear the birds, and say hello to people!

Margin is about saying no to a culture that rewards busyness and being overextended. It means saying no to your own desires for self-importance. It requires being able to say no to the expectations and needs of other people. Jesus set boundaries like this. When we say no in these ways it frees us live by the wisdom of the Bible: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

Pray “Selah”

The word for margin in the Bible is “Selah.” 72 times the Psalmist prays or sings Selah – often right in the middle of a sentence! Selah probably means, “Pause to reflect in prayer.” Selah is an unhurried space to breathe and to appreciate God’s loving presence.

To learn to practice “Selah” Ron started scheduling less in his day so that he could arrive early for meetings and use the extra few minutes to take a breather. Well, as you might imagine (and perhaps as you can sympathize!), at first this was very difficult for him! He kept being late even though he tried not to be. And when he did arrive early he was quite uncomfortable: his body was restless, his mind kept running through lists of things he needed to do or problems he needed to solve, and he felt resentful that someone was making him wait. (Previously it had not occurred to him that his habit of being late was putting other people in that situation!)

Try a Breath Prayer

I encouraged all of us to practice a Selah during the minutes of waiting by using a verse of Scripture as a Breath Prayer. For instance, one of my favorite prayers to use in meditation is:

• “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah.” (Inspired by Psalm 62:1, 5)

To help you slow down your antsy body and jitterbugging thoughts I want to show you how to use relaxed, deep breathing as part of your meditation on Scripture. Deliberate breathing is a proven technique for reducing anxiety. And it’s a simple way to put your body into praying Scripture in order to help you to engage your mind with God’s Word.

Let me show you…

• Breathe in deep and slow as you whisper: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest…”

• Hold your breath and your concentration on God’s Word…

• Then breathe out as you whisper: “Selah…”

As we wait for a meeting or an event slowly repeat this Selah prayer from Psalm 62, taking about seven to ten seconds for each prayer. Pray into your jittery body: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah.” Pray into the intrusive anxious thoughts that came into your mind: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah.” Pray into your frustration at having to wait: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah.”

And you will grow in God’s peace. What a blessing this will be for you, your family, and your church family!

Partner with us for Spreading The Truth

 

It’s people like you who support "Bytes of Truth", which includes articles like this. Perhaps you would like to invest in the transformation of men in the community, Future leaders, productive workers, and care-givers? Your tax deductible donation to Transition To Community will support this website, help the transition of broken lives back into the community, and the spreading of truth one byte at a time. When giving just say Bender Bytes sent you.

Thank you!

Ron

Ronald Bender- President/CEO Bender Consulting.~http://www.benderbytes.net/bender_consult