Let's face it, life is busy. Real busy. Many of us are juggling work, school, marriage, children, church, and other important activities. We wake up early and go to bed late. And we find little time during the day to rest - or, to be free from countless demands of the day. We expect that life should be more restful, and at the end of every day we struggle with whether or not it is okay to be so tired.
We ask ourselves hundreds of questions: What can we cut out? What are we doing wrong? Why are others so demanding? What are we going to do!?
I think a lot of our stress comes from an unbiblical expectation that we should not be a busy people. In other words, it is helpful to know that it is okay to be really tired at the end of the day. Knowing this, I believe, will bring more rest to our hearts even though we tirelessly race with our hands.
Here are a few thoughts concerning this matter that I hope will be helpful.
Christ was extremely busy. One survey of the gospels shows us that Christ was extremely busy. He was constantly being pulled by the masses. He spent many days without eating. He had to wake up before daylight to pray and spend time with his Father. There were even times when his busyness made him late for vital appointments. People died because he got caught up helping someone else (Luke 8). He even fell asleep in a boat during a life-threatening storm.
Though Christ was busy outwardly, he was restful inwardly. As Christians, we should be Christ-like.
Christ was busy doing his Father's work. It is not okay to be busy doing something other than the Father's work. The Scriptures actually call this laziness (Prov 18:9). If you are busy doing things for selfish gain, with a self-glorifying goal, and by a wrong standard, then your fatigue is heavier with condemnation. We must daily repent for such actions as we work toward godliness, out of a heart of love, and with an aim to bring God glory. This we can only do by the Spirit who gives us great rest, even while we are extremely tired.
Take advantage of the gift of God-given rest. Christians should sleep. Yes, that's right. Get some sleep every night. Also, rest for one full day per week. The Fourth Commandment is a gift that we frequently disregard. Many of us would feel less condemnation if we were celebrating the Sabbath with a good nap, with good people, and with worshipful rest. If you feel stress on that day, spend some time repenting of a desire to be unbound by time. Then spend some time actively trusting in the God-man Jesus Christ who cares for you and who is in control. He allows us to rest. He will take care of tomorrow.
Your tireless work is not in vain. Be tired storing up treasures in heaven. Again, if you are storing up treasures on earth, you can expect your fatigue to be mixed with the condemnation of the law (which we cannot bear). But if you fall flat on the floor at the end of the day in utter exhaustion, all because of your tireless Kingdom work, you can be inwardly restful knowing that, in just a short time, you will experience unending rest in heaven. And that rest will be with others who are there because of your work. Jesus was serious when he spoke about such treasures. We should think about this often.
If you die early because of your hard work for the Kingdom, it will all be worth it. It's okay to tirelessly work so that others can eternally rest.
This is ultimately what makes busyness so sweet. Christ, and his everlasting rest, is what makes being so tired okay. It is because of his work that we can rest before the Father. We no longer work for acceptance. And it is because of our hope of heaven that we tirelessly spend our lives loving others (Col 1:1-5). Remember, the treasures are real.
Christian, it is okay to be busy.
No comments:
Post a Comment