Brady Boyd admits in his recent article: “I’m addicted to being busy.” But he is quick to add that he isn’t the only one with a problem. He is a pastor and sees lots of problems.

He says, “We think if we can keep going, keep busy, keep plowing ahead, our conscience won’t have time to catch us.” We think it is easy to chase after the tempting buzz of busy living. So he has learned to recognize the signs of addiction to busyness.

First, “you feel like you’re in your glory when you’re busiest.” Most of us like how success feels, so we don’t want to unplug. We don’t want to relax. If you are a busyness junkie the last think you want is any semblance of white space because that will cause the undesirable effects of withdrawal.

Second, “you’re more fascinated with gadgets than with God.” Brady Boyd tells the story of getting to work and realizing he left his phone at home. He admits that he was more distraught than if he had misplaced one of his children. He says he did get a different kind of call that day. It was a call from God: “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” He didn’t pick up.

Third, “your favorite compliment has become, Wow. You’re always so busy.” Unfortunately, in our world being busy is our way to impress people. The calculation goes like this: if I’m busy, then I’m important. If I’m important, then you will be impressed. He says, impression management becomes a full-time job, and it’s exhausting.

Fourth, “you don’t have time for the ones you love.” If we are observant, we can see the hurt in the eyes of our loved ones. They feel like you have time for everyone but them. They feel neglected.

I applaud Brady Boyd for his honesty and vulnerability. We are a busy people, and we need to re-evaluate our priorities and our busy lives. Most of us are doing too much. We are hurting the people around us, and we are hurting ourselves.