If you read Christian literature, then you are probably familiar with the book by the same title as this post by Barbara Brown Taylor. It is an incredible book that I would recommend for those struggling with their place in the world.

In particular, she focuses on the busyness of life. We hurry here and there like we are very important people with very important business to take care of, only to discover that we have missed something on our way. Why is this important for a blog on technology? For two reasons, I am an ordained minister and I love technology.

You see, Taylor is an ordained minister in the Episcopal church. In the book, she says how busy she was serving God in her ministry that she forgot to worship God. For her, the work became more important than God. She felt God couldn’t do it without her. I believe she is not alone. Too often we feel the work would not happen if we did not do it. We obtain a martyr complex and feel our service is equal to our worship.

The truth is, we need the cheers and encouragement from the crowd. We need people to tell us we are doing the right thing. We need to know that when it is all said and done that we worked hard. But for what and for whom?

The technology game makes it easy to live a fast-paced life. There is always a new something to learn about or create. The next best thing is only a few minutes from now. The opposite to a hurried life is one that takes stock. A life that chooses a particular sizeable chunk of the puzzle and says, “I’ll do this.”

Now if you are reading this and think, “He must have it figured out.” Please think again. I struggle with this every day. When I wake up, it seems the world moves into high gear and doesn’t slow down until my son says, “Dad, you aren’t listening to me.” I want more for my children. I want more for me. And, I want more for you.

We are not the saviors of this world. That is not our job. We are no more than mirrors upon which society reflects. My mirror is a little tarnished. I have given the world a blurred view. I tried to reflect too much, too quickly and too soon. That leads to burnout. Now I am in a season of reflection on who I am and what I am here to do. I am looking at career choice and lots of other items in my life.

The other day, I blogged about Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple computers. At the age of 50, he took stock of his life. Was he where he wanted to be? If he could have done something else with his life, what would it have been? Maybe we need to vision more earlier on and then we will end up in a more positive place. You and I can’t make this ball spin any slower or faster. In fact, when we die it will continue on without us. People will say nice things but what will that be? “He worked hard.” “She really knew a lot about…”, “The company will never be the same again.” How much is our mark worth? Our families? Our pleasure? Our humanity? Once you sell your prized possessions, it takes a lot more to get them back and some never can be purchased again.

Take stock. Reflect. Sit by the stream of life and breathe it in. Once it is over, there is no coming back. I write this for me as I am not widely read but I offer it as a gift to you. Don’t get so involved in the now and in saving the world that you lose what you value the most.

Check out Taylor’s book at Amazon.