Hammocks or Hammers??
I had a missionary friend share with me his experience with westerners coming on mission trips. He told the story of many a man and woman coming into the third world slower-paced culture and trying to teach the locals to work harder. He shared how often these folks would work themselves to the bone while their counterparts who lived in the country encouraged them to lay in the hammock, relax for a while each day. Sometimes they would and sometimes they wouldn’t. Then he said something that shocked me. Over the years he noticed that many of the people who went into the hammocks, sat at the table, and relaxed or spent time conversing with the locals CAME BACK. And to his recollection, NONE of the people who worked the whole time to the point of exhaustion came back.
“And God said it was very good… and rested from all the work He had done
God wants a balance of work and play
Many have said in an ideal world we will all find a way to work that fits in line with how God made us. Each one of us is uniquely wired and gifted and brought up to make a difference for God’s kingdom in the world. When we are doing what we are ‘made to do’, life can be very good.
God Himself did a powerful work in the first chapter of the Bible. In six days He unleashed His creativity, beauty, order, and goodness into the universe. Each part carefully designed, planned, and slowly brought into being.
After each day God sat back and said “man this is good!” I sometimes picture God sitting on a porch with some sort of beverage in His hand celebrating each day. From the first chapter through the Old Testament, all the way into the New Testament God calls us to celebrate. Celebrate His beauty, celebrate His provision, celebrate His deliverance, celebrate His salvation in Jesus, and in a crazy way to celebrate in advance of His return.
The first church I pastored was ironically called Celebration Presbyterian Church. We Presbyterians are not known for our joy or our celebration. Instead, we are known for our intellectual pursuits. Yet, God clearly calls us to be worshippers, to enjoy Him and all that He has done for us. There is something strange about enjoying God, it can change us more than almost anything else. As Christians, we should be full of faith, hope, and love, not anxiety, anger, and fear. Jesus commands us to flee from the latter and turn to the former!
Do you remember that not only did God end each day with celebration, but he also ended the week with a whole day of rest. Rest is short for restoration. Our minds, bodies, and souls need to be off once in a while. A healthy person is able to enjoy worship, enjoy God’s word and enjoy fellowship. But, they are also able to enjoy rest, to be quiet, to enjoy beauty, to be captured in a good book, to enjoy the presence of family, to enjoy a great movie… etc… God has given us these things as gifts so that we may be renewed. God set up restoration as one of the top 10 commandments!
In our culture, we seem to gravitate toward one extreme or the other. Some of us tend to be consumed by our call and our differing jobs. We see rest as evil and have a hard time relaxing and being renewed. Others of us have adopted the way of the culture which is entertaining and resting itself to death. Our job as followers of Jesus, especially leaders is to encourage each other to work hard and do what God has called us to do, but also to encourage each other to enjoy restoration and play.
I have a friend who thinks that we should work from our rest, not rest from our work. He believes that as we faithfully pursue Godly restoration we will find the energy and strength we need to move forward.
As you read this what is God saying to you?
