Don't be busy, be fruitful

 Have you ever heard the old saying, "don't just be busy, be fruitful?"

Are you running all over creation doing stuff that isn't bearing fruit? Things keep you from enjoying life or the folks in it because you are so freaking busy. Is busyness stealing your peace and your joy?

I once heard a story about a piece of ground at Buckingham Palace under armed guard twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. For twenty-four hours a day, that small patch of land has been under guard for the last has been a hundred years. 

Finally, someone thought to ask, "What exactly are you guarding?" The guard didn't know, and he simply explained that it had been guarded for 100 years. As it would turn out, one hundred years ago, the queen planted a rose bush on that spot and wanted to ensure it grew. So she ordered a guard to stand watch over it night and day. And a century later, they were still guarding this bare ground. He stands there in all sorts of weather, at all hours, watching over an essential piece of land where a rose bush once was planted. 

This story got me thinking. Are there areas in my life that I am standing guard over that are barren and unproductive? Are there things that aren't producing fruit in my life to which I am devoting my time and energy? I wasn't called to be busy for the sake of being active. I was called to involve myself in the things that will produce fruit in my life. Too much pointless activity only breeds stress and aggravation rather than bearing valuable fruit. 

Only when I stop and take an inventory of these activities in my life can I discover the things that aren't adding one dollar to my bank account or one minute of joy to my life. I am not here in this world just to be busy. I am here to bear good fruit to bless others in my path.