8) Too Busy
8.I’m busy. Between sports, classes, and work, I don’t have enough time to take on more responsibilities.
Sounds like organizing a CSO is a burden. But it isn’t. It actually REMOVES burden. Doing God’s will lightens your load. Being a Christian Scientist is not really another chore. It’s an expression of who you are. You are a Christian Scientist while you are active in sports, classes, etc. Sharing with others what gives you the most substance and satisfaction in your life is natural and tremendously satisfying.
Michael Pabst, CSB, New York, USA Alum, Munich U. CSO—
College provides the perfect set-up for developing your own priorities and balance in life. It’s a training ground for formulating how you will move forward with new concepts, in new relationships, and with your career goals. You have to ask yourself, what it is that enables you to play sports, to think and reason, and to find new job opportunities? How does that happen?
My experience has been that turning to God first for direction and focus enables more to be accomplished, not less. And I particularly saw that proven when I was praying for others, teaching school full-time with five kids at home, and going to graduate school all at the same time. Spiritual qualities such as order, poise, focus, and balance are necessary to be productive. They also support a spiritual calmness that accomplishes more because it’s based in God. CSO activities won’t drain you; they’ll support you as you sort it all out.
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The funny thing is that people have been feeling this way for centuries—it’s hardly a modern phenomenon. How easy it is to be convinced that the everyday demands on us crowd out time for spiritual things. That’s probably why Jesus said to seek God first, and all the other things will fall into place because God knows our needs and provides everything for us as we turn wholeheartedly to the Divine. CSO activities are a way to stop the relentless routine and regain a spiritual perspective. We’ll find they engage our God-given qualities of creativity, intelligence, spontaneity, and fun which spill over into all our other responsibilities, making those easier and much more enjoyable.
Robin Hoagland, CSB, Massachusetts, USA Alum, Williams College and U. of Edinburgh CSO—
We don’t need more time. We need more inspiration. One person may stare at a problem all day long and not find the answer. Another solves it in a few minutes. Christian Science lets us have more inspiration in our lives by showing us we have no other source of consciousness than infinite, divine Mind. The fact that you have lots of demands on you is the very reason why it’s important to commit to the spirituality that will help meet those demands. When we have that inspiration, life fits together, and is a blessing. Without it, life feels too much like you’re on a hamster wheel.
Scott Preller, CSB, Massachusetts, USA Alum, U. of Colorado, Boulder and Boston U. CSOs—
If the idea of getting involved in CSO activity sounds good, but you think you just don’t have the time for it, maybe it’s because you already have some preconceived concept of what CSO work means—and maybe that concept isn’t what’s right for you. This particular form of Christian outreach has to be inspired, just like every other activity in your life. Turning to God and seeking a fresh way to look at how involvement in a CSO might fit in naturally with your other activities is a great starting point. If your motive is to bless others and grow in your understanding of God, then you have every reason to believe that God can show you a way to get involved, without placing extra burden on your daily schedule. In fact, you’ll probably find that, with these motives
in mind, and with a new outlook on what CSO activity could mean for you and your campus, this spiritually grounded activity will help make other responsibilities in your life feel lighter, too.
