It’s interesting to me how often the hard and the exciting exist side by side in our lives. I don’t remember it feeling like this when I was younger. Back then, things in my life were either great or not so great. But that hasn’t been the case in recent years.
We bought our new house at a time when one of our kids was struggling. We received a hard diagnosis at the same time something we had prayed for came to pass. We received good news about my husband’s job while an elderly loved one’s health deteriorated rapidly.
Is it just that I have more people to love and care for? Is it that my kids’ problems are real, adult problems? Am I just more aware of what is going on around me, rather than the tunnel vision that sometimes comes with youth?
My husband and I are in a season of mostly good, I suppose. A decision we had been struggling with has been made, and we are at peace. And yet, like a boat bobbing peacefully in the ocean, we are aware of sharks circling below the surface. Other issues, both big and small, threaten to break through and disturb the surface placidity.
So while we are now moving forward, it is slow. Decisions—and the changes they bring—take a toll. The new normal brings new lessons. And the interruptions that come with living life are still present, but in different forms.
Work Is a Gift from God
The last couple of times I have spoken recently have been on the subject of rest. But intertwined with any discussion of rest is the discussion of work. Both work and rest are good gifts from God. We are God’s image bearers. We are created to work.
In our culture, though, we tend to equate work with measurable productivity. Did we check items off our to-do list? Did we log hours and receive a paycheck? Did we complete our objectives?
We are tasked with subduing the earth and taking the message of the gospel to the world. Those things don’t always make good bullet points on a résumé. Some of those tasks are only measurable in God’s economy. And what God calls us to can be either joyful and fun or hard and mundane.
Sometimes it is teaching a group. Sometimes it is coffee with a friend to offer support and encouragement. Sometimes it is an annoying administrative task. Sometimes it is exploring a creek with my grandchildren. Sometimes it is talking through pros and cons with my husband. Sometimes it is explaining something to a colleague one more time.
Faithfulness and Fruitfulness
One of the most freeing things in my walk with God was realizing that both salvation and sanctification are works of the Holy Spirit. All I can do is plant and water.
In the same way, God doesn’t call us to productivity, but faithfulness. Have I done the work he set before me, even if it wasn’t the work I planned? Have I been diligent in the things he has called me to, even though it meant ignoring my daily (or weekly) goals?
Did I embrace these interruptions as God-ordained opportunities, or did I stew and fret? Did I accept that the outcome is always in God’s hands and rest, or did I attempt to soothe myself with mindless activities like scrolling with the TV murmuring in the background?
Rest Is a Gift, Too
The need for rest is not a sign of weakness, it is part of our created nature. It is also a gift from God.
But like all of God’s gifts, it’s not something we necessarily earn. Often, we must simply accept it, even if we don’t feel we deserve it.
Trust the God Who Sees
Our God is not a cruel taskmaster. He is our all-knowing Creator. He knows that we are dust. He knows that we have limits. He invites us to dream and plan, but he alone does the building. And he reserves the right to reroute us as he sees fit.
Sometimes the reroutings take us to new and better things. Sometimes they leave us spinning our wheels and feeling confused. All of them fall under God’s sovereign plan. He calls us to be diligent, then to trust him and rest.
Leave a Reply