Productivity vs Busyness
6/12/12
Grace and Peace Friends,
The other day I asked my friend, how their chickens were
doing. They had purchased 10 chickens last Spring to produce fresh eggs for
their family and they built them the Taj Mahal of chicken coops. “Well”, my
friend said, “I have a whole new understanding of the phrase hen picking.” Apparently,
when the chickens are bored, they peck one another. My friend had to find productive
things for the chickens to do, like putting them out in their play area with a
head of cabbage filled with chicken feed. They needed to be occupied with a
goal in order to stop them from picking on one another.
But there is a difference between being busy and being
productive. Being busy connotes being active and having our time captivated.
Being productive is about bringing forth: “to cause, to bear, to create, to
bear fruit.” (My summary of the 1828 dictionary http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/search/word,produce).
Busyness is not a synonym for productivity. You can be
bored, unproductive and busy at the same time. If chickens do not have
something productive to do, they will find a way to keep busy that ultimately
is harmful to those around them. Boredom and busyness are the lethal enemy of
productivity.
How many times do we turn on each other out of boredom? Picking at
each other instead of finding a cabbage head to conquer?
This made me think about our culture. Do we have a busy culture
or a productive culture? Are we spectators or active participants bearing
fruit? This is one of my questions for the format of the American church. It’s
the only time of the week that I must occupy my time without the opportunity to
be productive. Yes, corporate worship is important and I really do love my
church family!
However, all week long I am listening to sermons from Andy
Stanley, Tim Keller, Joyce Meyers, and multiple others while I am walking my
dog which is a triple productive opportunity as I am nourishing myself
spiritually, getting exercise, and give my dog some exercise. Being out and about also allows me to be a
light in my community. I’m always looking for people to serve - whether it’s
employees or clients or people within the community – it’s just a great time to
pray for the city. But then I go sit with hundreds of others on a Sunday
morning and just give my money so others can go and do. I think there is something wrong with this
model.
Another way I see the effect of this issue of productivity
(or the lack there-of) is in our entitlement based assistance programs. The
greatest harm is does for people is that it robs them the opportunity to be
productive. I believe everyone has something to contribute, no matter how small
it may seem. I have built relationally over the past 10 years with a family who
has struggled with poverty and people might want to judge their lifestyle. But
one of the many lessons that I have learned was when my friend found an opportunity
to be productive, her life changed like it had not changed in the many years
before that. The day she started her volunteer opportunity, she called me and
said “Wendy, I now have a reason to wake up every day!”
It’s something to think about.
Blessings,
Wendy