One of my very best friends told me that he believes his busyness is coming from God, that it's a trial that is preparing him for some future task. That may be, but I don't think a loving Heavenly Father would jeopardize the eternal relationships of friends and family, let alone take away from the spiritual growth that comes from pondering gospel principles in a quiet setting (not while rushing to school or work). Last November (2012), President Uchtdorf of the LDS First Presidency said (and I'm sorry this is long, I didn't know where to end it),
“I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.
"I can’t see it.
“Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.
“In our day it is easy to merely pretend to spend time with others. With the click of a mouse, we can ‘connect’ with thousands of ‘friends’ without ever having to face a single one of them. Technology can be a wonderful thing, and it is very useful when we cannot be near our loved ones...However, I believe that we are not headed in the right direction, individually and as a society, when we connect with family or friends mostly by reposting humorous pictures, forwarding trivial things, or linking our loved ones to sites on the Internet. If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly important to us, one day we will regret it."
I don't mean to brag when I say this, but I am just as busy as anyone: I try to work 20 hours a week; I am finishing up the last year of my undergraduate degree with some very difficult and time-consuming classes; I participate in an internship and I am about to add another; I'm studying to take the GRE in March; I have two ward callings and a stake appointment, as well as hometeaching responsibilities; I have at least three people a month ask me to accompany them on the piano; I volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and Bountiful Baskets; I cook the majority of my meals from scratch; and I practice the piano as often as I can and I am planning to have a recital sometime in the summer, just to name a few of the things I'm involved in. However, none of these things will EVER take precedence over a loved one or a person in need. I am always willing to stop my life to give blessings, lend a listening ear, or bake cookies for someone that I think needs them.
Additionally, none of those activities will ever take precedence over my spiritual growth. I make sure that I get enough sleep at night, I set aside time to read my scriptures free from distractions, I have quiet moments where I can ponder about life and gospel topics (usually while I take care of my plants), and I read my patriarchal blessing every morning before I start my day.
Please don't think that I'm bragging about myself or calling myself perfect, because I'm not. I'm far from it and I make mistakes just like everyone else. But I know what is important to me and I know that I don't regret it.
So stop and think about where your priorities are. If your schedule is so rigid that you can't stop by to visit a friend who had a bad day, pause to give a priesthood blessing or lend a listening ear, make dinner with your family, or you're so tired that you sleep through a commitment you made with a friend in need, then I think you seriously need to reconsider what is important to you. Because as President Uchtdorf said, "If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly important to us, one day we will regret it." And that, my friends, will be a very lonely day.
