By Ruth Burke
The last two weeks did not go as planned. I was sick for an entire week. It started as a bad sore throat and got steadily worse. I’d love to say that when I realized how sick I was I took great care of myself. Unfortunately the opposite is true. I cooked, cleaned, and even tried to homeschool until the Holy Spirit stepped in and convicted me. I overdid it each day until I could barely get out of bed. This should have prompted a change in, or at least an evaluation of, my actions. It didn’t.
After six days of illness, when I finally started to recover, I confidently resumed right where I left off. I started homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, hosting people, helping my husband run his company, and writing for this blog. When Debbie and I had our weekly meeting, I assured her that I would be ready with something to post by the end of the week. I clearly had not learned my lesson. Friday came and went, and still no blog post.
So here I am, sharing what I’m learning the hard way. In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero discusses the importance of contemplative spirituality – stopping and being with God multiple times a day. He writes about the story of Mary and Martha – Martha was running around stressed while Mary quietly sat at the feet of Jesus. Scazzero points out that “…if Martha were to sit at the feet of Jesus, she would still be distracted with everything on her mind” (pg 50). This is because Martha’s life was not centered on Christ.
When we stop and center our lives on Christ, we tune out the noise of our crazy schedules. Through being with God and meditating on Scripture we find life, hope, and renewal. We can then do everything from this place of peace and rest in God. Stopping and being with Christ grounds us. If I had stopped, even for five minutes, and meditated on Psalm 127 I would have realized that I was running too hard. “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain. In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food – yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.” Psalm 127:1-2
If I had stopped, I would have realized that I was trying to do everything on my own strength. I was trying to accomplish everything with an “I got it” attitude rather than humbly admitting my weaknesses and need for Christ’s help and strength. When we try to live as though we can do it all ourselves we are essentially saying that we don’t need God, which is idolatry.
Needless to say, after I realized this I took time to stop, pray, and meditate on scripture. I prayed about everything on my “to do” list and asked God what He thought I should do. Not only did I find peace and rest, but I also found greater satisfaction in the tasks I did accomplish.
There is peace in working hard, acknowledging our limits and trusting the Lord with the rest. Stopping and recognizing our need for God both honors Him and allows us to have the right balance between work and rest. This is something I am growing in, but I encourage you to try it! Pick a couple times during the day when you will stop, even for five minutes, and quiet your mind before the Lord.
If you need more help or encouragement in this, I highly recommend Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and the accompanying book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day.
Let’s all rest in the One who created us, has planned all our days before we were born, and who created good works for us to do. Let’s ask Him what we should do today. “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.