Franticity

by Dave Gillogly

I love words. I admire and enjoy writers who use them well. So I collect words (quotes) that are put together creatively or artfully to make a point or paint a picture.

In spite of that, I often can’t recall just the right word or words I need, or there isn’t a word or quote for the thought I’m trying to convey. So I’m obliged to make one up. Hence, the title of this article, ‘Franticity’. In case that doesn’t mean anything to you, how about “the state of being frantic,” or “frantic-ness,” or rushed, or scrambling, or overwhelmed or plain old stressed? Franticity is that sense of having too much to do in too little time or lacking the knowledge or resources to do what you feel you have to do. It’s the feeling of not being up to the task of living the life you’ve been given at that moment, on that day or in that season. It’s “out-of-control-ness.”  You know the feeling I’m talking about, whatever you call it.

So here’s what I’m thinking. With Lent just around the corner (Ash Wednesday is February 26), perhaps there are some things we might incorporate into the Lenten season that could reduce our “franticity” and get our lives closer to where they belong.

Jesus is our example. Though he was always busy, he never seemed rushed or frantic. He did what needed to be done, but with an aura of calm and control. Whatever situation He was in, or whatever was going on around him, He was an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos. The Bible admonishes us to do likewise. But how do we do that, and what does it have to do with Lent?

Most of us commit to giving up something or making some sort of change in our habits or routines during Lent. What is the purpose? To cause us to focus on God. Every time we interrupt our normal routine, we’re to take that awkwardness or discomfort as a reminder to think of our relationship with God or to remember what Jesus has done for us; things we should be remembering anyway, but get out of the habit of doing. For instance, the purpose of fasting during Lent is not to lose weight or gain mastery over our impulses (although those are not bad by-products), but to allow the feelings of discomfort to remind us to think of God.

What if this season we decided to use every feeling of franticity to remind us to slow down a moment and think about God? In a traffic jam, what if we pictured Jesus sitting with us in the car and embraced His peace? At our desks with the phones ringing and work piled up and deadlines to meet, what if we committed to taking a breath and thinking of where it all fits into God’s plan? What if we relinquished our frantic-ness and intentionally acknowledged and felt the peace that Jesus said He has given us already, but that we are ignoring? What if in the midst of our most frantic moments, we committed to reminding ourselves that “all things (even this) work together for our good”? What if we chose to believe that God either determined or allowed whatever good or bad was happening, and therefore we took a breath and thought “because He loves me, and because He wants the best for me, this is the best thing that could be happening to me right now”?

In addition to changing our thinking in the frantic moments, how about re-arranging our priorities to reduce some franticity in the first place? Could we think a little more about the implications before we so quickly said yes to another obligation? Could we determine to take a two-minute break or a five-minute walk before franticity overwhelmed us? Could we make a commitment to asking God if what we are doing or are about to do is something we really need to do at all? Could we make a priority of bringing peace into our lives and living the life Jesus lived, stripped of all but what God wanted?  

Could we use this season to turn our episodes of “franticity” into triggers to walk in the peace, serenity, calmness or shalom in which Jesus has gifted us?

I’ve decided to give it a try. If it feels right for you, join me on this slower and more God-centered walk.

Meditating on this might be helpful on our new journey:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone (Psalm 62:5a). 

Peace be with you (John 20:21).

I will give you a gift of peace (John 14:27).

He will quiet you with His love (Zephaniah 3:17).

To be spiritually-minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6).

Author Bio
The author used to be Dave Gillogly. If he’s downtown or at a meeting, he’s Erin’s dad. Around Council Road, he is Miss Millie’s husband. A member of Council Road for 42 years, he has taught Bible Study classes, directed departments, served as a deacon and on a number of committees. He also served on the boards of the Oklahoma Baptist Foundation and Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children. He is currently hanging out with some young guys (they call it mentoring; he’s the one who is learning), he writes a little, and with Miss Millie, spends three months a year communing with God’s creatures (especially trout) in Montana next to Yellowstone Park. In previous lives, he served on Governor David Boren’s staff, was Commissioner (CEO) of the Oklahoma State Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, managed two independent oil companies, served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Express Employment Professionals, and was adjunct professor in the Paul Dickinson College of Business at Oklahoma Baptist University.