As the old saying goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s tools.” The idea behind this oft-quoted line is true. When left with nothing to do, people often end up in some kind of mischief. Kids without a job will soon be up to no good. A once-common parental tactic was to assign children enough chores and responsibilities so they would not have time to get into trouble.
I can see the logic behind this line of thinking, but I feel the old devil has pulled one over on us. He now has us all so busy that we don’t have time for anything else. By anything else, I mean the things of the church and Christian service.
Allow me to start with the low-hanging fruit. Kids today seem to have more activities than ever before. We have sports leagues for kids as young as three. Yes, your three-year-old can start learning karate. Schools offer more activities than ever before. Today’s teens can’t work a job because it would interfere with their after-school activities. When they are home, they play games on their phones and tablets to unwind from the increased activity load.
The parents are responsible for ensuring these children arrive at and are picked up from each scheduled event on time. Many households now have both parents working to fund the high cost of living in such a busy society. Being too busy to cook, we dine out more than our parents did. This, in turn, requires us to make more money. When we do cook, we use frozen and prepared foods to save time. Adults who spend their time driving and sitting all day had better pencil in some time for the gym or a walk at the track.
Now, let us consider those from days gone by — retired grandparents. They are the ones once known for canning, crocheting, gardening, quilting, and crafting. Many also spend more time managing doctors’ appointments and health concerns. They are also expected to attend their grandkids’ games, concerts, pageants, recitals, receptions, and ceremonies. Is it any wonder that they take more vacations away from home, trying to recover from being home?
We are so busy that we pay a Walmart employee to shop for our groceries and bring them to our car. Instead of meeting regularly with friends and family, we read their posts and scroll through pictures of them on social media. This may not be true for every single one of us, but it is true of our society as a whole. The devil has convinced us that this is living. Our kids deserve to be involved in everything the world has to offer. We would be bad parents to deny them this right, and bad grandparents if we didn’t show up at every event.
Now step with me into the modern pastor’s office, where he is trying to find a program to entice his people to come to church an hour earlier for Sunday school. Watch as he prays about a new series of messages that will appeal to the church on Wednesday night. He fears planning a Sunday-Wednesday revival due to low attendance. Oh, he knows the older folks will make an effort to be there, but he also knows it will be hard on them. Heaven forbid that he tinker with sacred cows like church camp or VBS.
I was reading the account of a Baptist preacher in Arkansas during the 1930s and 1940s, less than 100 years ago. It was common for Baptist churches to hold two-week revivals, and some were extended to a full month. These revivals usually featured two services each day, with one around noon and another in the evening. Back then, Sunday school attendance in our churches often equaled, or even exceeded, that of the worship service. Sunday evenings usually included a Training Union class for young people before the evening worship service.
I know what you’re thinking — the same thing I did: “Well, they had time for that back then.” No, they didn’t! They sacrificed to do it back then. Those cotton fields were planted with 10-horsepower tractors and picked by hand. Meals were made from scratch, and the chickens they ate were hand-fed, hand-caught, and hand-plucked. Cars and gas were scarce at times, and they often walked to get there. Shops closed for the midday service, and farmers brought their hired hands to the meetings. They were as busy — if not busier — than we are.
I didn’t write this to advocate for meals made from scratch or monthlong revivals. Things change, and we, as a society, must change with them. I know you are busy, but what are you busy with? Are you busy with the American dream? Busy being the most popular mom on the soccer team or the best ball-coaching dad? Busy trying to get un-busy so you can return to being busy again? Busy working to fund your busy lifestyle? Busy online doing what used to be done in person?
I don’t see many idle people in the church today. I don’t think we are lazy; I think we have lost sight of our first priority. In light of Christ’s statements such as “the fields are white unto harvest” (John 4:35) and “the night cometh when no man can work” (John 9:4), it is time to reevaluate how we spend our time. What would happen if the church got busy in the Lord’s work? Busy in prayer. Busy in study. Busy in evangelism. Busy in service at church. Busy in outreach in the community.
There’s a battle raging, and the devil has many of us way too busy keeping up with the Joneses to be busy with the things of Jesus. Maybe it’s time we slowed down to pray for a fresh understanding of what really matters. Then arise from our knees and get busy doing what matters most.
