Idleness and busyness are the enemies of fruitfulness and faithfulness.
2 things God asks of us: Faithfulness & Fruitfulness
If the enemy can keep you distracted with busyness or being idle – being inactive, then he knows you are ineffective.
Faithfulness: someone who has a firm and constant devotion to something to which he or she is united by or as if by a promise or pledge. Loyalty, someone who does not waiver.
The enemy of faithfulness is busyness.
Busyness: being actively engaged in an activity that may not be productive or fruitful.
As a mom, often times we default to our cell phones or netflix binges for an “emotional break” from our environment. The problem with this is, it’s often not productive or fruitful. We zone out from those who need us most. When we need a break, it’s important to practice healthy self-care. I post a lot about healthy self-care in motherhood. Healthy self-care keeps us from falling into the trap of busyness and idleness.
Fruitfulness: is beneficial, profitable, producing growth.
The enemy of fruitfulness is idleness.
Idleness: unprofitable, lazy, thoughtless. Inactivity.
Idleness is not rest.
Rest has a purpose, idleness does not.
Notice that the definition of fruitfulness doesn’t say – producing perfection. Often times idleness is a result of struggling with perfectionism. Because, if I can’t do something perfect or the end result be perfection, then why do it at all. If we dig deep, we often find that the feeling of being overwhelmed with a messy house has more to do with being overwhelmed by our expectations of perfection. We can freeze in idleness instead of being fruitful and doing small things that make a difference, things that are beneficial, even when the end result is still a (less) messy house.
Everything we do out of faithfulness will serve the bigger vision of our family.
Everything we do out of busyness will will not serve the bigger vision of our family.
Everything we do that is fruitful will be beneficial and/or produce growth.
When we are idle, there will be no benefit and it will be thoughtless.
When you wonder if what you are doing is faithful or fruitful, ask yourself:
1. Is this serving the bigger plan and vision for my family?
2. Is this beneficial for me and/or my family and/or will it produce growth?
❤ – Jen
