Rest for the Weary

The road to spiritual burnout winds and twists through our busy lives and leads us to a place we didn’t even realize we were headed. You can quote me on that.

Spiritual burnout may be a relatively new term but it certainly isn’t a new situation. The Bible is chocked full of godly people, the movers and shakers in their day that desired nothing more than to honor God with their lives and their work; yet, just as today, burnout plagues well-intended people. When you are doing more and enjoying it less, take note, Friend, because burnout may be lingering around the next corner just waiting to strike.

There is a passage in one of my favorite books by Gordon MacDonald that addresses this:

‘In the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler was making a long trek. Natives had been engaged from a tribe to carry the loads. The first day they marched rapidly and went far. The traveler had high hopes of a speedy journey. But the second morning these jungle tribesmen refused to move. For some strange reason they just sat and rested. On inquiry as to the reason for this strange behavior, the traveler was informed that they had gone too fast the first day, and that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies. (From Springs in the Valley by Mrs. Lettie Cowman)

Mrs. Cowman concluded that story by saying: This whirling rushing life which so many of us live does for us what that first march did for those poor jungle tribesmen. The difference: they knew what they needed to restore life’s balance; too often we do not.’

My favorite line in that story is that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies. Oh, my! Haven’t we all been there, done that too many times? Rare is the person in today’s hectic world that truly takes time to rest the way God intended when He proclaimed a day of rest. Sabbath rest was created FOR us. God knew our minds, bodies and spirits would need it. Mosaic Law dictated the day of rest and Jesus showed us that it can be carried to the extreme; but let’s not lose sight of the fact that God rested and knew we needed rest – recuperative, renewing deep rest..

Many Christians suffer burnout because they stay so busy, running and planning and making things happen that they neglect their souls and abuse their bodies. Christians, do not be deceived; busyness ‘doing things’ in service of the Lord is not the same as time with the Lord. We must learn to ‘step into the boat and push away from the shore’ as Jesus did when He knew His disciples needed rest after returning from the missionary outings He sent them on. Just as most pastors take Monday off after ministering on Sundays, they needed time to restore, refresh and refill their own spiritual wells before they would be able to pour out again.

Physical rest plays a large part in spiritual burnout. Physical work can bring about a ‘good tired’. Too much physical work, without proper rest and nourishment, can bring on a state of exhaustion that defies all efforts to maintain spiritual balance. Emotional highs and lows do as well. We can get just as tired and exhausted from a really wonderful event as we can a dreaded one. We may not realize it at the time but the stress on our bodies is the same. What feels like a surge of energy at the height of emotion is just that; energy expended has to be replaced whether it’s spent on happy things or sad ones.

My husband and I are very blessed with a large family we love a great deal. It’s wonderful to be able to support the grandkids in their endeavors and nothing fills us with more satisfaction than time with the family. At the same time, we are blessed to have a wonderful church family and a great deal of our time is structured around that, as well. If we are to be beneficial to our biological and church families we must ‘step into the boat and push away from the shore’ once and awhile. We don’t do this often enough. We both have good habits of time spent in Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books and seeking God but it is the time of spiritual rest we need to allow us to be useful servants to God and everyone else.

With the holiday season in full swing this is perhaps the hardest time of the year to find time you feel you can lay aside for spiritual rest and yet it is the time you need it the most. Once burnout is in full swing you will not, can not enjoy the holidays anyway because stress will rule your emotions and clothe you in frustration. So, my prayer is that you ‘step into the boat and push away from the shore’ so you can wait for your ‘soul to catch up with your body.’

Frosted Flakes Won't Cut It

People, we have a problem.

In our age, our place in space, our time – this time on earth (call it what you like) we have fallen into a dangerous state of ‘feel good Christianity’. People are hopping from church to church in hope of finding the ‘right’ one that suits them. Sadly, it’s often about programs, activities and appealing to their sense of being entertained more than the condition of their salvation and soul. People, we have a problem.

We have ‘cotton candy’ pastors oozing a high fructose version of Christianity to keep the pews and offering plates filled. Somewhere between the high voltage worship music and the pot luck dinner, people stopped being told they would go to hell if they did not accept Jesus as their savior. They are encouraged to be joyful and at peace as the flames shoot higher and higher. The Bible tells us of three young Hebrew youth that were able to do just that. However, and it’s a big however, they were able to do so because they were faithful to their faith, disciplined in their worship and refused to follow the ways of the indulged heathens around them. They were willing to die before they bow down to anything other than their God; the same God that lives and rules today.

Yet, we have churches with one eye on the Bible and the other on the clock because, heaven forbid, they should run a little over the usual service/sermon time. They have no inclination to follow the Holy Spirit in the service because, well….that would cut into lunch time and people just can not sit still and hear the Word of God if their little bellies are growling. Besides, sometimes they have to rush home for a football game where they will cheer, shout and enthusiastically sit for two – two and half hours engrossed in watching grown men run head long into one another. Can’t let that pesky church service get in the way of that, now can we? These are the same people that would faint and fall over before raising a shout or cheer for team Jesus. That’s unthinkable. People, we have a problem.

A woman told me she and her daughters changed churches because they needed a shorter service; they had other things to do. This professing Christian also believed in reincarnation. Maybe in her next lifetime she can find what she’s looking for.

One of my spiritual fathers goes to remotes places of the world to help encourage and train nationals as spiritual leaders to their people. He tells of one trip to India where traveling to the location was difficult for his team. Some of the ‘pastors’ coming to hear more about God and learn how to reach their own had walked for four days to get to this teaching seminar. Then they had to sit on the ground in the rain for the duration. Yet, they did not leave, nor complain. They sacrificed every personal comfort to learn more of God and Jesus. Here, in the land of plenty, we have people that will not sacrifice an hour of sleep to get up and dress in their multi-room homes so they can drive their comfy cars to church where they sit in the air conditioned/heated sanctuaries on padded pews and chairs unless they are being entertained and made to feel good about themselves for an hour or less, one day a week while their kids are catered to and fed snacks because that hour is just too long to expect them to act right. People, we have a problem

People are dying and going to hell all day every day everywhere you look. The God I read about in the Bible doesn’t come across as being too concerned about a sports team, or coddled kids or doing laundry or sleeping in. I do read about eternity. I do read about the depths of hell and the glory of heaven. The Bible isn’t sugar-coated so it will sit better in your mouth. If pastors, parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers and TV preachers do not stop ignoring the basic teaching of Christianity where sin is sin no matter how you try to pretty it up, where we are to seek and worship God instead of waiting for some church-like entity to woo us to them when it’s convenient, we are perpetuating the problem. One day we will all stand before our maker and account for what we did and did not do to train up our families in the way of the Lord.

People, let’s be a part of the solution, not the problem!

The Eyes Have It

This life’s dim window of the soul

Distort the heavens from pole to pole

And lead you to believe a lie

When you see with, not through, the eye

That little poem by William Blake describes a common condition. People, including but not limited to Christians, in times of struggle, excessive activity, physical or spiritual exhaustion can be deceived by what they see with their eye as opposed to using discernment. Choices and decisions made by emotional reactions are equally dangerous. Then there are those that routinely function from a position that believes all that glitters really is gold and chase after the sparkle.

For example, Abraham and Lot found themselves at a point where the land they inhabited could no longer sustain all the flocks and herds they held. A division would be necessary to maintain. Abraham made the offer to Lot to take his flocks, family and household and choose the land he wanted for this move. “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley as well watered…” Genesis 13:10 Lot eagerly looked around and took the greenest and most lush fields and valley for himself. He ‘thought’ with his eyes, seeing the beauty, selfishly wanting what he perceived as the best for himself; no concern for his generous uncle. This was his decision making process, not inner values and convictions. The moral decay and filthy lifestyles of Sodom and Gomorrah included in that valley he desired would eventually lead to the loss of his family, his dignity and credibility.

In my reading this morning, I noted that there are 508 scriptures using the word eyes in the NIV Bible. The most common use of the word was referencing ‘lift(ing) up their/your eyes’….With 508 references, it is safe to assume they play a vital role in our life, well beyond the obvious. It seems to me that in ‘lifting up’ our eyes, we are making a deliberate action over a casual sighting.

We have heard the proverb that says ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’. Scripture tells us in Luke 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness.

And from 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

So, it seems we should pay diligent attention (that ‘deliberate action’ mentioned above) to that which we do with out eyes! We guard our hearts by monitoring what we see and hear. We can delight the Lord by our eyes seek or we can spiral into sin with those same eyes.

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints

In reference to Jesus, Isaiah prophesied Isaiah 11:3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

In short, Jesus always has been, always will be our example; the standard by which we are to aspire. I leave you with these words of encouragement:

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Being Independent is Highly Overrated

By virtue of being American, we are raised with the pioneer independent spirit. We pride ourselves in our national mentality of independence. Sadly, in the world in which we live, that might not be such a bad thing. Or is it? It becomes a problem when we apply that thought process to our spiritual life. We can not function outside of God's will for us and still enjoy the fruit He has promised. Worldly success and Godly vision rarely are the same. You can be very successful and follow the Lord's ways, but it takes a self-discipline many never achieve. Self gets in the way.

As for me, I'd rather live in a tent and follow the Lord than dwell in a mansion of worldly living. I tried living my life "my way' as the old song tells of, failed miserably in every aspect of it, and finally surrendered to the Lord all those years ago.

At the time my Honey and I married, I had been my sole support for many years. I wasn’t ‘rolling in the dough’ as the saying goes but I kept a roof over my head, never went hungry, paid my bills, bought my own vehicle, went on mission trips, tithed every Sunday and was actively serving Him in many different ways. I had, thanks to God, been blessed with promotion on my job. Life had taught me not to depend on another person and I was fiercely independent. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?

Moving in with my new husband was a blessing and a challenge at the same time. Learning to live with a partner again did not come easily. First, I planned on being transferred with my company from Austin to San Antonio. That did not happen and the bottom line was that the nice income I/we were expecting as a given was not to be. This came as an emotional and psychological blow to the former Miss Independent, now Mrs. Married with no job. I searched for a job with comparable pay, found nothing. I did find a job I enjoyed a lot in spite of the pitiful salary but physical issues forced me to resign. I was forced to be dependent on my Honey. This was painful and terrifying to me; my history reared its ugly head to remind me that depending on a man was not a good thing.

The one thing that kept me from losing my mind was that I knew, knew God had put my Honey and I together to serve Him in ministry. It was through an immense amount of prayer and Bible reading that I realized God was using that time of transition to build my faith in Him and my new husband. Growing pains, my constant companion; I learned to simply stand in faith on the plan God had for my life.

Soon after, we became a family of six rather than two when four of our grandchildren came to live with us. They were young, troubled by all the pain in their own lives and needed me home with them. Had I been working, I would have had to quit. God had used my transition time to prepare me for life with my husband and children.

Every day I'm thankful for the wake-up call from God, as painful as it was at the time, because my life today would not be possible had all that not happened. Independence, I have discovered, is not for me! Dependent financially on my husband does not equate to lack of self-esteem or personal failure; I want and need to be dependent on the Lord. I love being partners with my Honey and, though my contributions to our life together do not come in the form of a paycheck, they have value and make our lives richer for them. I have learned to lean on my husband and not see that as a weakness; I have learned to trust him more and more as I trust Him more. Funny how that worked.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Many years ago I was having a casual conversation with a former employer I can still call my friend. He asked me, in a baffled tone, if I was aware of a right way and a wrong way to load a dishwasher. I said, of course, there absolutely is. He looked at even more perplexed at hearing my answer.

He explained the previous evening he was in the kitchen with his wife as she prepared dinner. Her routine was to get all the needed ingredients out on the counter before she started. As the process evolved, he decided to help out and put away the spices; she did not appreciate his effort and sent him out of the kitchen. Afterward, he thought he would be helpful by loading the dishwasher. He was informed he was doing it the wrong way and sent out once more. It was obvious he was perplexed by the whole turn of events.

I explained putting away her spices may have been creating more work if she had to retrieve them again; he had not asked what could be put away. Her concern that the dishes would not get clean his way could have been an easy explanation; had they communicated. His heart was in the right place. Her frustration at his efforts defied reason to him. He concluded by saying he believed there was no right or wrong way, simply perspective. It seemed to me trouble arose from not sharing their perspectives with one another. An opportunity for clarifying communication missed.

His observation about perspective has remained with me all these years later. I try to look at my own perplexing situations with others by viewing things from their perspective. I believe we can look at and understand someone else’s point of view without having to agree with or like it. It’s the being listened to that makes the difference.

The trouble is not that people have differing opinions and perspectives, trouble comes when one or both parties refuse to consider the possibility that the other view may have merit. When Person/Group ‘A’ discount the perspective of Person/Group ‘B’ without listening and giving thought to their view, People/Groups start taking things very personally. They feel disrespected and, in common terms, blown-off, without the opportunity to have their views weighed on the scale against the other’s stance. This is when marriages come apart at the seams, business partners become adversaries, churches split, and governments/cultures become enemies. Yes, it is that important.

In families, this is an especially dangerous road to tread. I knew a man once that felt you must not have understood his point of view if you did not agree with him because, had you really understood; you would have seen the error of your ways. He would argue until you said he was right; never concerned about your perspective. Many a relationship died an agonizing death before his eyes.

I was on the phone with a good friend the other day when something on TV caught my attention. I could hear my friend talking but my brain had switched gears and I was not listening to her. Suddenly I realized I no longer even knew what she was saying. I felt badly; I was not showing her proper respect. I turned off the distraction and focused on my friend for the remainder of our conversation. She deserved my full attention.

There is a difference between simply hearing someone talk with your ear and listening to what they are saying. Webster list several definitions for ‘hear’ with the first being the capturing of sound with the ear. That one may be necessary for all other definitions to function but it is of least importance in a relationship. The following, however, can make or break any attempts at fruitful communication.

hear: to listen to with attention : heed : to gain information : learn

listen: to hear something with thoughtful attention : give consideration

Regardless of how crazy and zany someone else’s perspective may seem to you, everyone deserves the right to be heard and listened to as defined above. So with your visual ears ‘hear’ me say this, it is imperative that you hear and listen as described above to other’s perspectives if you want your own to be heard as described above. Nothing shuts down communication and minds faster than coming across as not listening to the heart and voice of the person speaking; an opportunity for clarifying communication needlessly missed.

Feeding the Soul

Last night we had dinner with family at Olive Garden. My entrée of choice was a Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto, delightful to all of the senses. Yes, even hearing; if I sit very still I can recall the low rumbling ‘umm’s” uttered by Haylie and me as we indulged our appetites with the creamy risotto. The good news about the overly generous portions served in American restaurants is that you have leftovers to take home. I had my leftover risotto for breakfast this morning. The sad news is that it was just enough to wake up the taste buds but not enough to satiate the demands of the growling tummy.

Tapas are a delightful custom brought to us by our culinary brothers in Spain. Tapas are small portions of real food eaten when imbibing alcohol; rather like the appetizers with which we are more accustomed. The original idea was one tapa per drink. A variety of tapas were available, so each person was able to enjoy many small tongue tickling delights. Now, Tapas bars are everywhere (except in my small town apparently) and it is fashionable, if we are to believe programming on PBS, to make an entire meal from tapas alone. Initially they were intended to whet the appetite for the meal but I can see where having enough of them can fill you up. So, technically, based on the definition of tapas and taking into consideration my choice of drink was coffee; my risotto breakfast could be considered an Italian version of a Spanish tapa. Confused yet?

While small samplings of tasty food might be an interesting way to tantalize the tongue, it becomes a danger when people approach their ‘religion’ or faith decisions the same way. A little bit of this, a little bit of that is not the way to build a strong foundation of faith. Like tapas, different faiths can offer inviting and colorful bits to entice you. You can mix and match tidbits and come up with a custom made variation to suit you personally. Once upon a time I, too, felt that my faith choices were personal and customized my very own. Dangerous mentality, that! It was based on the tidbits I found appealing and I discarded issues I chose to ignore. I thought it fit me to a tee. There is none so blind as she who will not see!

You see, I was unknowingly practicing a form of Humanism and not true Christianity. I considered myself a Christian but made my own determinations as to what that meant. Let me state this clearly: I was wrong! I had taken a “tapas mentality” in determining which appealing tidbits to incorporate into my faith rather than relying on the written Word of God. I had completely deluded myself into thinking my smorgasbord of ideologies would bring about the beginning and end of all I needed spiritually. Again: I was wrong! I was spiritually depleted and nothing brought about ‘that peace which surpasses all understanding”.

It wasn’t until I passed up the appetizers of worldly faith and got into the meat and potatoes of Christianity that I understood what I was lacking and felt satiated in my soul. A steady diet of the Word of God, followed by frequent meals of study and prayer were the only things ‘to satisfy (as a need or desire) fully or to excess’; the very definition of satiate.

By the way, I followed the risotto tapa with a hardy bowl of steel cut oats with a little honey and cinnamon. Not as colorful and fancy as the risotto but pure foundation building nutrition. Then, and only then, was I able to get about the business of working for the Father. There’s a lesson in that.

In Times of Trouble

Times of Trouble are perhaps one of the most common afflictions known to man. If you are alive you will have trouble. Matters not your country of origin, faith, age or economical scale, Trouble will stalk and attack you as surely as the lion does a gazelle. Wild Kingdom has nothing over real life when it comes to the appetite of Trouble.

Scripture affirms we will encounter Trouble. Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. This scripture alone talks of Trouble being a daily issue. Why, then, are so many surprised when they find themselves face to face with a myriad of circumstance and situations hurled at them by Trouble? We’ve all heard someone lamenting their latest dilemma and asking what could possibly go wrong next. Perhaps the voice was familiar; perhaps it was your own. Fear not; you do not have to look for Trouble, it will find you.

Luke 12:22 And [Jesus] said to His disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious and troubled [with cares] about your life, as to what you will [have to] eat; or about your body, as to what you will [have to] wear. Almost sounds too simple and naïve to think we are not to worry over the basics of living, doesn’t it? When we ponder these issues with our finite minds it seems impossible not to stress over them, yet God is not limited by a finite mind. Scripture goes on to tell us we can expect life to be hard but we are not to walk in fear when it looks like darkness is closing in. Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 2 Timothy 3:1 BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. 2 Timothy 3:3 [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

Scripture also reassures us we can count on the Lord to protect us. Psalm 9:9 The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation). Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock. Psalm 41:1 BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) is he who considers the weak and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil and trouble. Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.

In our weakness and times of trouble He will not fail or forsake us. Habakkuk 3:19
The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

So, Friends, my prayer for us all is that we stand on our faith rather than hang by our fingertips when Trouble is breathing down our necks.