Crazy Busy
Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. They contain quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Crazy Busy, a book that discusses humans' innate busyness and how this frenetic pace poses a serious threat to our physical, social and even spiritual well-being.
Author
Kevin DeYoung
Introduction
As the sub-title suggests, Crazy Busy is a short, quick read (only 118 pages) but tackles a huge issue that many of us deal with daily: busyness. If you've ever read any of DeYoung's other bestsellers (Just Do Something, The Hole in Our Holiness, Why We Love The Church) or his very popular blog (DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed) then you are familiar with and expectant of his usual warmth, humor and honesty. This book deftly attacks the 'crazy busy' mindset we all often find ourselves in and offers up the perfect remedy we've all been too busy to find.
Message and Purpose
In ten chapters, DeYoung discusses three dangers to avoid (chapter 2), seven diagnosis to consider (chapters 3–9) and one thing you must do (chapter 10). In a faint attempt to withhold any spoilers, here is the general outline:
Introduction
Three dangers to avoid
Busyness can ruin our joy.
Busyness can rob our hearts.
Busyness can cover up the rot in our souls.
Diagnosis 1: You are beset with many manifestations of pride.
Diagnosis 2: You are trying to do what God does not expect you to do.
Diagnosis 3: You can't serve others without setting priorities.
Diagnosis 4: You need to stop freaking out about your kids.
Diagnosis 5: You are letting the screen strangle your soul.
Diagnosis 6: You'd better rest yourself before you wreck yourself.
Diagnosis 7: You suffer more because you don't expect to suffer at all.
The one thing you must do
I'll pump the brakes on spoiling this one; it's worth the read to see for yourself!
Crazy Busy covers a wide range of things that keep us busy: our technology, our kids, our work. The message and purpose of this book is to help us find ways to rid ourselves of this busyness epidemic the world has seemingly been in for decades. Being 'crazy busy' is not always a bad thing, but learning to identify why we are so busy is important to examine.
Remarkable Chapter
Chapter 5, which examines diagnosis 3 from above, is a chapter that strongly resonates with me. After opening the chapter by reciting Mark 1:35-39, DeYoung goes on to declare what this passage is really about:
We think of this passage as a call to prayer. And it is. But just as much it's a remarkable statement of how resolutely the Son of Man stayed on mission. Jesus amazes me. His incarnation, his resurrection, his ascension, his exaltation - these defy description. But I'm also amazed by the more mundane things about his life, like the fact that he never uttered a thoughtless word, never spent a wasted day, never strayed from his Father's plan. I have often marvelled to think that Jesus was so terrifically busy, but only with the things he was supposed to be doing.
"So terrifically busy, but only with the things he was supposed to be doing." Wow. What an ageless lesson for us all.
Conclusion
As someone who identifies as a busy person — probably not unlike yourself — I thoroughly enjoyed the succinct practicality of this book. Ironically, it took awhile for me to squeeze it into my busy reading schedule. But I digress. I've long been a big fan of anything DeYoung writes, and this book is no different. His trademark wit and humor mixes well with his theological insight and wisdom, and his guidance to overcome the frenzy of life is hugely important for us all. If you've ever rejected doing a favor for someone with the excuse of "I'm too busy" then this book is for you.