Staying B-U-S-Y

I recently ran across a printout of a story that made the round on the internet several years ago. Satan was talking to his demons about the best course of action to attack Christians, and the gist of it was to keep us too busy to pray, rest, play, spend time with each other and our families, and enjoy all the benefits of a walk with our Lord. It ended with the acronym for b-u-s-y as "Being Under Satan's Yoke."
Then you could make the argument for the old British proverb "The devil finds work for idle hands" and say that one needs to stay busy to avoid the devil. I've met some lazy people in my life that I think should probably take this one to heart. Having tendencies to workaholism myself, I probably need to lean towards heeding the first story as a warning.
I find my life has to have balance. A rhythm between silence and observance and actively doing nothing interspersed with intentionally pursuing what's important to me and what I earnestly believe to be important to God keeps me on the right path most of the time. Like the pendulum on a clock, if I don't swing back and forth freely, between business and nothingness, my inner parts cease to work well and the cogs become all bound up. It is in my times of quiet and nothingness that I find the direction for my time of work. It is often when I lie down to sleep at night that I find clarity about the plans for the next day. Or during my shower in the morning when a theological concept God and I have been wrestling with becomes crystal clear to me. Or sitting on my couch petting my dog when I have an inspiration to write a sermon, or one of these articles. It is rarely when I am rushing around doing things at a mad pace that I receive such visions!
Christ was our model for this. He left HUGE crowd on the shore and went to the other side of the lake, or off to the side to pray. He knew he had to have times of doing nothing but talking to God. He had to have times alone with his disciples. He had to have times to eat and sleep. Then he got up and went on about the business of performing miracles, healing the sick, and teaching us how to live Kingdom lives. The night before he was to face the cross, he stopped to pray. And pray. And pray again. He spent time with his friends. Then he reported for duty.
The third chapter of Ecclesiastes has it right: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (NIV)