1. When busyness distracts you from devotions. Be it family or private, when your full plate excludes time in the Word and prayer, busyness is not working for you. Jesus was constantly being pursued or sought after during His ministry but He always, always, made time to pray to His Father in heaven and teach His Word.
2. When busyness distracts you from ministry. Is what consumes your time all work, with a slice of play, but maybe not so much time for ministry? We are called as people of the body of Christ to invest our gifts and talents in service to our church. And it's a calling, not a suggestion.
3. When busyness distracts you from real life. When busyness lures you into your own little bubble world, protecting you with a shiny wall from the rest of life, busyness is getting bad. Rejoice in the gift of life, don't ignore it.
4. When busyness becomes about the wrong things. Like I said before, Jesus lived a fairly busy life on earth, but He was only ever busy about kingdom work, preaching and living the gospel. He was busy about God's glory. Unfortunately, we are often not.
5. When busyness becomes an idol. Ultimately, all four previous ones are fueled by this: busyness can be idolatrous. When it becomes more important to us than devotions, ministry, life, the church, and God's glory, we are elevating it to an unhealthy position. Life is not meant to be defined by how busy we are but by how we're living for God's glory.
Busyness can be good, inspiring us to be busy about good things, pursuing kingdom work through ministry, and spurring us onto good works. But in this culture where busyness is one of the flashiest, biggest, baddest idols there is, it's tempting for us to fall down at its feet and worship. I know I'm guilty of it. But let's not. Let's get up and fall down to the one true God, the only Living God, the One who deserves all of our worship and praise - the One who is worthy of all of our busyness.