Busy, Unwise, or Lazy?

I was rushing to a school to officiate a basketball game, frustrated that I might arrive late. Not late for the game itself (almost though), but late for when officials are expected to be there. As I drove, my wife had just asked how I was doing, and I realized my answer was more edge than honesty.

The problem was simple. I left the church later than I should have.

That moment stuck with me.

People often tell me I am “so busy,” and for a long time I have pushed back on that. I have said I am not as busy as I look. But this week, I felt it. Between CrossFit, church, meetings, Upward, substituting, officiating basketball, family, friends, and more meetings, the pace finally caught up with me.

What hit me was not the number of things on my calendar. It was the realization that I have not been managing my time as wisely as I should.

Where we live means a lot of driving. Something that takes one hour can easily turn into a three-hour block because of distance. If I leave at the wrong time of day, I can lose an entire morning. But timing and distance are not the real issue.

The deeper issue is priority.

It is easy, and sometimes tempting, to blame circumstances or other people for our stress. But the truth is, I am still responsible for my time. As I drove, I said out loud that I was not taking advantage of the time I have been given.

That led me to a simple but uncomfortable question.

What am I doing with my time?

Time is the one thing we all receive equally. Twenty-four hours a day. Seven days a week. Three hundred sixty-five days a year. The question is not how much time we have, but how we use it.

Paul addresses this directly in Ephesians 5:15–16 (ESV):

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Paul is reminding the church to live intentionally and to pay attention to how they are walking with God in a broken world.

As I read that, I had to ask myself some uncomfortable questions. Is wisdom shaping my schedule, or is it urgency? Am I truly stewarding my time, or am I just busy? And in some moments, am I not overwhelmed at all, but simply lazy?

God has called us to live for Him. To be His ambassadors. To be His light in the darkness.

Busyness has a way of trapping us. Often, it becomes the enemy of productivity, efficiency, and real impact. I can run across multiple counties and do a lot of things, but still miss what matters most.

Is it meaningful? 

Is it impactful? 

Is it faithful? 

Is it making the most of my time for Christ?

I can honestly say I am not doing this as well as I should. I can plan better and steward my time more wisely. But planning alone is not enough. I still have to execute. I still have to do the work. One small change I am committing to is leaving margin instead of assuming I can squeeze everything in.

Maybe you can relate. Our calendars are full. Some commitments are necessary. Others are choices. Either way, the pressure is real.

What if this week we focused less on how much we are doing and more on the impact of what we are doing? Quality over quantity.

Every word. 

Every interaction. 

Every decision. 

Every moment.

All of it matters.

So here is my challenge for you and for me. Let’s stop glorifying busyness. Let’s slow down enough to sit at the feet of Jesus and ask an honest question.

If someone looked at my calendar, would they see wisdom or just activity?

Anyway, I was just thinking…