A few years ago, I realized that I created another job and not a company.

Although I started my business in 2006, I hadn’t mastered the art of delegating. Yes, I had an assistant who took care of answering emails and booking my speaking gigs, but I did everything else on my own.

• I was designing my own graphics for my books, information products and webpages.
• I was building my own websites.
• I was doing my own bookkeeping.
• I was writing all the copy for my sales pages.
• I was leading my own launch campaigns.

It was a vicious cycle. I didn’t have enough money left over to hire help, yet because I didn’t outsource my technical and communications tasks, I couldn’t free myself up to focus on income generating opportunities. The reason why I lacked money is because I didn’t have time to make any.

I soon started to resent the “business” I had created. Instead of creating freedom, I created a prison. Instead of feeling joy, I felt anger. I watched as others who started their businesses at the same time I did soar and leap. On the flip side, I was struggling and frustrated.

The Tale of Two Sisters

Martha and Mary, the sisters of Jesus’ good friend Lazarus, were hosting Jesus and his disciples in their home one day. While Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to what He had to say, Martha was busy making preparations for their guests.

Although the Bible doesn’t say what these preparations were, we can guess based on what we do when we prepare for guests. Martha was most likely cooking food, preparing water and towels for her guests to wash their feet (sandals were the shoes worn in Jesus’ day and being pretty dusty in that area of the world, the feet got dirty fast), plus making sure that their home looked decent for guests.

As Martha darted to and fro, she started to get angry at Mary. I can just imagine that Martha was mumbling under her breath about how lazy Mary was. Martha was probably telling herself that with all the things she’s sacrificed for Mary, she can’t believe that Mary wouldn’t help her out with the chores.

Martha’s anger boiled over. She was too angry to even speak to Mary. Instead, Martha directed her anger at Jesus in Luke 10:40 by stating:

“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Jesus’ replied by saying in verses 41-42:

“Martha, Martha. You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.”

The Only Thing You Need

Mary listened to Jesus’ stories. Most likely, He shared with her stories of those who had been healed, the demonstration of faith that non-Jews showed and the hard-headedness of the teachers of the law.

Mary’s faith was being fed by the true Bread of Life (see John 6:25-59). And because Mary wasn’t busy with things that could’ve filled her mind with worry, she was able to do what Jeremiah 15:16 states:

“When you words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.”

Mary didn’t need to occupy herself with tasks. Instead, she released the burden of being busy to choose what is better (Luke 10:42) and to be fed by the only thing she would ever need – the Bread of Life.

Replace Being Busy with Rest

Once I started to delegate the technical and communications tasks in my business, I was now free to focus my energy on what I do best – developing new relationships and transforming them into revenue.

By not worrying about the administrative and operational tasks in my business, I found that my mind and my spirit was more peaceful. And I no longer worried that taking time off would leave me far behind.

I began to understand that it’s not the tasks that make me important, it’s my connection to God that does.

In essence, I learned how to rest. Rest creates space. Rest creates free time. And that free time shouldn’t be filled with activities that distract you from God. Rest should create attraction to God.

God serves as an excellent example of why rest is so important. In Genesis 2:2-3, it states that God created the heavens and earth and all that’s in it within 6-days, but on the seventh, He rested “from all the work of creating that he had done.” God wants you to honour a Sabbath, a full day where you do not do any business tasks, so you can connect with Him. Rest is a form of worship and He desires that time with you.

In your time with God, you’ll be able to do as Mary did – eat the words coming from the Bread of Life.

Say this Prayer

Lord, I often fail to see that being busy takes me away from spending time with You. Please continue to reveal to me all the tasks and duties that are keeping me busy. Bless me with the resources to either eliminate, delegate or automate the things that clog up my time. Help me to add periods of rest into my schedule, not to fill it with activities, but to fill it with my connection to You. Amen.