A recent conversation with a weary young woman who just finished serving as a missionary leader got me thinking, once again, about the importance of balance in our lives lived well for the Lord. One of the main questions that occurred to me after this conversation was, “why is this struggle so common?” I had a moment of insight when the woman I was chatting with said, somewhat casually, that she had climbed four walls that day. I understood immediately what she meant, and it reminded me of my own days as a student missionary. It was normal in those days to speak with some pride about hitting a wall and pressing on to do the next thing. Days started early with household morning prayer and were typically filled with one on one meetings, staff prayer, planning and prepping events, small group meetings, and evening large group events that ended with an invitation to socialize and continue to build relationship. All of these things were good and none of them were seen an optional. The expectation was to be all in and to persevere when weary.
This attitude to just keep pressing on, and push past any weariness, served me well as a young missionary. It taught me about discipline, commitment, and the value of saying “yes,” even when it is hard. It was incredibly helpful for that season of life. It also ingrained in me an idea that would become problematic as I continued to seek to serve the Lord in a faithful way. The idea, which I believe to be common, is that it is not acceptable to say no to opportunities to serve. Giving the whole of my life for the rest of my life became an expectation that I must always be available and willing to serve wherever and whenever necessary.
It took years to learn that it was okay to say no at times and even more years to become comfortable doing so. It has only been recently that I have learned how good it is to say no and the freedom that comes with doing so. This is not an encouragement to be selfish or lazy, but rather an exhortation to live a life of balance in authentic imitation of the Lord.
During his three years of public ministry, Jesus was certainly busy preaching, teaching, healing, building the Kingdom of God. However, he also took time set apart to be with the Father. And from the beginning, God created us with a Sabbath day as part of this invitation into covenant relationship with Him. Even after the Fall, He protected that sacred day and made honoring it a part of the requirements for how to follow Him in this life. Having a day off from work is not optional, it is a commandment. It is part of the minimum required to follow God faithfully and well! Honoring the Lord’s Day does not necessarily mean not engaging in service on that day, in fact doing so might be a great way to keep holy the Sabbath. But the existence of this commandment is a reminder to us of that God does not intend for us to always be busy. He protects our rest.
God gave us a Sabbath day, a day of rest, because he knew our need and because he wanted more for us than mindless servitude. Our God is a God of love and returning his love requires being a full person, a person who is healthy enough to respond with freedom. A person worn down by endless service does not possess the necessary freedom. We cannot even worship well if we are exhausted from constant activity. Pride will tell you that you can and must be available at all times and for all things. Love will tell you that there are times in which you can rest.
Again, I want to be clear that I am not encouraging anyone to be lazy or to look for excuses not to serve. Saying no shouldn’t be about being selfish, but rather about seeking how to best use the precious gift of time and being attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we discern which gifts to use at which times. We were created to need one another, and Christian service is an integral part of our call to follow Jesus. However, so is being served. Help those in need but know that you are allowed to need as well. Bear in mind that service, while necessary, is not sufficient. We must also have time to worship, to study, to contemplate, to socialize, and even time to rest. Be at peace, you are more than what you do, your value does not lie in your service to others, and the God who made you loves you for who you are, not for what you do.
Prose for the sake of Poetry 