(I received a copy of this book plus a book bundle from Zondervan in exchange for my thoughts and opinions of Breaking Busy.)
“I had reached my capacity level and was standing in the airport calling my own bra to prove it.” (From Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace & Purpose in a World of Crazy by Alli Worthington).
When I read that line my first thought was: “This woman gets me.”
As I became engrossed in the chapters and pages that followed that statement, I saw myself more and more mirrored within them. I felt humbled and a bit convicted when Alli wrote about being at maximum capacity with our busyness and when she wrote specifically about chronic lateness, it hit me right between the eyes (but in a good way: I needed it). I’ve often felt like I take on too much. I want to be everything to everybody and as plain as I can say it, it’s not possible. So instead of doing a few things well, I end up doing many things so-so or some things pretty crappy. I need to learn to prioritize and in those priorities…I need to be one of them along with God and my family.
Alli also covered such topics as being focused on earthly wealth and material items instead of what matters most: family, tradition, managing our time well, and discovering our passions that line up with God’s plans for us.
When we live in a world of crazy, it is sometimes of our own making. ~ Alli Worthington in Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace & Purpose in a World of Crazy
I was especially drawn in by Alli’s ability to bring us real-life issues and also her ability to relate to them in a very raw way. We can allow ourselves to be so busy keeping so many balls in the air that we miss what’s going on right in front of us here on the ground. We need to find some way, somehow to create and maintain balance in our lives.
From the description on the book itself:
- Learn how to stop chasing what leaves you empty and start doing what you were created to do.
- Identify the common lies you believe and how to strip their power from your life.
- Recognize how what you say no to determines what you can say yes to.
- Discover how to overcome feeling a constant pressure to be all things to all people.
See that last one? It’s exactly what I said above about myself and I thought those words in my head before reading them. That makes me think many of us are struggling with that very same thing.
Alli also shares about something we all need and probably most of us strive for on the daily but don’t quite feel we ever reach it: a deeper connection with God. If we’re so busy that sometimes we’re trying to pass off reading the single Bible verse that comes in our morning email as “devotions”, then we’ve got some work to do. Can I get a witness? (Yep, I’ve done that. Nope, I’m not proud of it).
I found so much value in this book. It isn’t often that you feel with the turn of each page, that a book is speaking right to you. If you find that happening, pay attention. God is using this beautiful author to speak to me and He may be doing the same for you as well.
Be encouraged and be listening,
Don’t forget: You can still enter the giveaway for the Outgrow Your Space at Work! And watch for upcoming book reviews of Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram and Where She Belongs by Johnnie Alexander!
