InterVarsity's StudentSoul.org

The semester has barely begun and you’re already swamped. You wish you could take the time to sort out your priorities but — you guessed it — you’re too busy. We’ve found a few good articles about busyness that fit this hectic season of the year. And if part of you stays busy because you’re not sure what you’d do if you weren’t so busy, this list is for you.

The Everything Trap

Some of us think the world will fall apart us if we don’t manage to care about and control everything happening around us. The control issue is a dead end, and caring about everything (read worrying about everything) leaves us exhausted. Dennis Anderson has been down that road and has some seriously cool perspectives to offer. We put this link first because it’s an article you don’t want to miss. You’ll come away refreshed.

How to Care for Your Soul

Shawn Young has an issue with Martha Stewart and all those Chicken-Soup-for-Your-Soul-type books. They just don’t cut it. As Shawn writes, “I question whether a collection of sentimental anecdotes will really satisfy anyone’s soul. The trouble with chicken soup is it’s mostly noodles and water. Very little meat. All these chicken soup books make me want to write a book of my own called Man Does Not Live by Chicken Soup Alone.” According to Shawn, the idea is to learn to listen to your soul, something very few people are used to doing. He offers some good help and some stories from his own life experience.

Busy Sickness

Why are we so busy? And why does our culture promote and reward busyness? Lauren Mann writes, “We often say we’re busy, but what does this term mean? We just say it without thinking because it’s an easy response and it sounds good. It sounds better to say that we’ve been keeping busy than to say we’re doing nothing, right? . . . Beneath this cultural pressure lies a more poignant and sobering truth: busyness is a sign of vanity. We find our worth through our busyness.” Ouch. Lauren has some helpful perspective and also some practical ideas for overcoming “busy sickness.”

Poems to help you breathe

For many of us, poetic images capture concepts that could otherwise take pages to unpack. Here are a couple of thoughtful poems to ponder:

Cramped

Softer Ground