My sister has decided to have a party for her students. As she was telling me how about it, you could her just a slight anxiety in her voice because like many of us in this holiday season, she is rushed, stressed, tired, and “peopled out”. I asked why she did not ask me to come and help (I am a caterer), she said, “I did, and you said that you were not Florence on the Jeffersons.” I frowned, and laughed. Yep, I did say that.
My sister and I are both ministers. She is a gifted teacher, and preacher. She is married to one of the most anointed teaching pastors that I have ever met. My sister teaches at a large Methodist university in Texas. In between teaching classes and preaching, I cater. We both care for aging parents, and we both mentor young, emerging leaders. As a wife, my sister still has to clean, cook, and take care of her generally self-sufficient husband. The hard part about this that all of us are also introverts—we genuinely love people, but there are times that the work becomes overwhelming, and tiresome. We begin to look at the lives that we generally love to live and reduce to them to “everybody needing something from me”. We live the life of service to others.
As I prayed, a scripture that has been ringing in my spirit for the last several days came again to the forefront. I picked up my bible and read it in its entirety: “15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV). Sometimes when scriptures sit in my spirit, it’s because a sermon is “brewing”, so to speak. However, as I prayed, I realized it was the Lord speaking encouragement to me in this season. “Ok, Lord,” I thought. “It took a moment, but I got it.”
Anyone who is in a growing relationship to Christ is also called to service, because our lives are not our own. The moment that we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to living the life that has been planned for us before the beginning of time. We are called out of self-centered living and loving, to a life of vulnerability, openness, care for others and agape love. We do this for people who sometimes are selfish, dependent, thoughtless, entitled and demanding. If we are not careful, in our desire to “do our jobs” so to speak—we lose focus and become frustrated, tired, short-tempered and cynical. The call has not changed; but the place where we pull our strength has. We move from living ministry to doing ministry. We live ministry out of our call and our relationship with Christ. We do ministry out of our own strength and obligation—and sometimes the fine line between the two becomes blurred.
I said as much to the Lord. He said to me: “Ahh, so you see the difference.” Then He asked, “Child, how did Christ manage to live a life of service when there were constantly people pulling on Him and needing his anointing?” At that moment, I heard Mark 1:35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (NIV)”. He continued. “Child it is not that you will not become tired, but you must take time away from everyone, to rest and pray. Come and sit with Me, not as one who is doing something for Me; but come to Me when you are heavy laden and find rest. You don’t even have to speak. I listen to your heart. Picture yourself reaching into your pockets and purse and giving me all your cares. Then sit with Me quietly and allow me to restore your soul. When you do this, you are drinking from My never-ending flow of Living Water, and not out of your drying well of human strength. Renita (I knew that He was serious), taking a Sabbath is not a suggestion—it’s a command. It’s okay to rest; and it is okay to say no.” Come confidently to Me and get your mercy, and I will give you the help you need.
I sighed. It’s easier said than done; but it must be done. The greatest joy that one can experience is to find purpose in life. However, it is easy to move from purpose to work; and it’s easier to take on obligation as a penance, rather than a reward. It is in those times, that I pray for the discernment to recognize the subtle shift and run to sit by the still waters of the Lord and find rest.
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