The lie of shame. Shame drives us into a never-ending cycle of trying to fix ourselves, to prove to the world and ourselves that we are not inherently flawed, that we have value.
The lie of not enough. Every day the Enemy lies to people, to tell you you’re not good enough, trying to distract them from their calling.
The lie of unworthiness. When we live life feeling unworthy, we wonder if we will ever be enough – smart enough, creative enough, thin enough, rich enough, spiritual enough. We stay stuck in cycles of busyness trying to please others to gain assurance and acceptance.
What a powerful way to end our God-sized Dreams spring book club studying Alli Worthington’s Breaking Busy. Today we tackle Chapter 9 on Communication and Chapter 10 on Worth (excerpted in part above). This book closed on an important note for all of us dreamers who are spinning like tops trying to prove ourselves or make everyone happy.
And a great way to kick off that conversation is with Chapter 9 on communication. Understanding how (and why) we and others communicate can help us in eliminating the unnecessary busy in our lives. How? Think of time you waste on needless, idle conversations, or how much energy gets expended with people not understanding what you or others mean when you’re trying to communicate a message.
Alli offers great tips in chapter nine for both undercommunicators and overcommunicators as well as help identifying which you are if it’s not obvious to you. “It’s crazy to think that something as simple as communicating better can help us break busy and find our voice in a world of noise, but it can and it does. Taking control of the multitude ways you can communicate with others can literally give you hours back in your day.” p. 192, Chapter 9
Then, Breaking Busy powerfully closes with a chapter on worth, and how it can be the most critical element in eliminating the busy because it fuels our busy for the wrong reasons.
It is God that keeps us grounded and aware of who we are and why we are here. It is our faith that has to fuel our actions not our sense of shame or worthlessness.
Keeping us busy trying to prove our worth is the easiest way to keep us from the life God created us to live because it makes us think that our worth is based on what we do, instead of who God is. p. 197, Chapter 10
Go back. Reread that.
Someone needed to hear that alone today. Sweet dreamer: your worth is rooted in who God is and how He sees you and who He says you are. And it is good and beautiful and worthy and forgiven and loved and treasured.
Your worth is not based on what you DO.
Being rooted and grounded in His love and His message over us (and for our lives – our dreams!) is the ultimate antidote for the needless busy in our lives. What better way to close than with Alli’s own closing words:
The best things in your life? They are not of your own doing. They are not because of who you are or what you accomplish, but because of who God is and what he has already accomplished.
Friends, it’s been such a treat to walk through this book club with you. I’d love to hear what you learned and how it’s changing how you make decisions and schedule your life.
Alecia says
March 31, 2016 at 11:55 amI especially enjoyed this last chapter on communication. At times I feel I’m a bit of both.
And when it comes to worth, YES! The enemy would love to tell us we aren’t enough, our work isn’t enough. Or have us waste time trying to explain our dreams to people who just don’t get it and never will. That’s why I’m so thankful for this site and the way it encourages the dreamer in all of us.
Thank you for the journey through Breaking Busy! Great job…and the videos at the beginning and end were the best bookends.