Well, Church Family, you did it! September is now behind us, and with it, the festivities in honor of the church’s 150th anniversary. It was a true blessing to take part in your celebration, and to hear so many testimonies to the enduring love of Jesus that has been generously shared between you. You have served and supported each other through trying times, both personally and congregationally—and it’s only right that you also get the chance to rejoice together with the victories that come your way. If 150 years of fellowship and vibrant witness isn’t a victory, I don’t know what is.
These things didn’t happen on their own—so many people planned and worked for months to bring these things to pass so beautifully. When I think of all the people who have poured themselves into this celebration, I think it entails most of the active members of our church! By God’s grace you all made this happen. But, I have a question for all you hard workers: are you feeling a little tired by now? I wager that the answer is yes, and I’d like to tell you that it is completely natural and proper for you to take some time now to treasure the memories of all you have done. It’s time just to rest a bit.
One of the men I follow on YouTube is Dewayne Noel, who runs the Dry Creek Wrangler School at a ranch in Wyoming. He and his wife, Deanna, teach horsemanship, wrangling and packing to groups of five students each week from April to September. I mostly listen to Mr. Noel for his wise musings on life, permeated by common sense and traditional values. His most recent video, called “Just Rest,” finds him at the end of another successful year. He declares his intention to spend several weeks in Idaho, away from cell phones, schedules, YouTube, and people in general. Make no mistake, he loves his work, and he expresses appreciation for all the people he met over the term. They were all quite helpful, eager learners, and good company. Though he enjoys meeting people, however, he’s the sort of person who can only recharge his batteries through times of solitude and reflection in between those social seasons. Many of us are like that. It’s possible to spend so much time in the din of society that we might come to feel somewhat like Henry David Thoreau, who wrote, “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” At any rate, Mr. Noel ran his battery quite low this year, so he needs a long rest now. He has every intention to continue the work he loves, but the point of his video is that, sometimes, we must rest from what has been exhausting us, even if we love it. Then, when our batteries are recharged, we can return to the work with renewed enthusiasm and joy. That is true for all of us, even when we’re working to serve the Lord.
Today’s culture, though, seems barely tolerant of the real human need for rest. Many companies put such pressure on their employees that they feel scared to ask for a day off or to take a sick day. Their corporate culture pushes them to work overtime and to do work beyond their job description. It’s gotten so bad that simply working agreed-upon hours and fulfilling one’s job description is now labeled “quiet quitting.” The people who are highly-valued these days are always extremely busy. This is one of the great sicknesses of our time, damaging to every dimension of human health. You see, we are not created to be pathologically busy. Our need for rest is baked into the creation itself. God set apart the seventh day for rest, not because He has any need of rest, but because we do. Without a Sabbath-rest, our health begins to fray and unravel. Of course, it’s been decades since society has rationalized its way out of keeping the 4th Commandment. Yes, we worship on Sundays instead of Saturdays now, but the need for a day of rest is still part of our created design. Without it, we work ourselves until our health is degraded. Overload sickens us.
In 1992, Dr. Richard A. Swenson wrote an excellent book for NavPress called Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. A typical medical doctor with an overloaded schedule, his marriage and family just barely hobbled along, until they all traveled together to an island in Grenada for a medical missions trip. The facilities and equipment were primitive, but the doctors did some really good work for the locals notwithstanding. But, the most dramatic healing came to Dr. Swenson and family. They spent large amounts of time eating, talking, exploring, playing and praying together. It was such a transformative experience that, upon returning to the States, he didn’t want life to go back to how it used to be. He cut his medical caseload in half, and moved forward, determined to get more rest and to put his family first. He decided to leave more margin in his life.
Have you and your family ever lived paycheck to paycheck? There’s a good chance you have, and that you will know the stress and ill-health that can cause. Well, we can live paycheck to paycheck physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, too. We’re just one hardship away from collapse. Just the constant knowledge that we have zero reserves for the unexpected is fearful and exhausting. Overload can ruin our lives.
From his own experience, Dr. Swenson lists the warning signs that we may be experiencing overload. A creeping sense of anxiety begins to stalk us, robbing us of sleep and focus. Our anxiety can bleed over into how we deal with others, so that we become irritable toward the people we care about. I’m sure this is behind much of the rudeness and “road rage” that we see so much these days. Alternatively, we may start to withdraw from activities we used to enjoy. The enjoyment bleeds away—our interest fades. We might become so overwhelmed with our anxieties that we pull away from treasured relationships. We know where all this leads: depression or possible breakdown. Or perhaps, we may begin to build up a resentment, or bitterness, toward the things we used to do gladly. Eager service can devolve into begrudging duty. You can probably think of other symptoms of overload.
In our culture, it is viewed as a luxury to have any kind of “safety cushion,” either of finances or leisure time. However, the truth is that we all need a bit of margin for our own well-being. It’s a harrowing and unsustainable condition to be right at maximum capacity, with no room for anything unexpected. Human beings need the time and wherewithal to get a little perspective on the circumstances of our lives so that we can respond to them faithfully and rationally.
That’s why Dr. Swenson spends half of his book prescribing various steps that we should take to reclaim some margin in the various areas of our lives. Much of it is common sense, but common sense demands that we clarify our priorities and make changes in line with those priorities. If we want to invest more time and love into our families, it may require us to work less and downsize our material ambitions so that we live more simply, with contentment. This would noticeably cut down on our anxiety and insomnia as we begin to live with some financial margin as well. Light to moderate exercise serves as a pressure release valve for stress. Our physical health and energy increases, so we can actually accomplish more and give ourselves more margin. Irritability starts to fade away, since we’ve used our anxious energies on something more constructive. Even depression can be powerfully helped by these measures. Again, we must make time for these things. If we’re too busy, we must make the needed changes to become less busy. There is no other way.
Our activities must also be reevaluated in light of the things we’ve decided are our core priorities. Some things, though they might be fun or make us popular, need to be set aside to allow us a bit of margin. Our acts of service to God must also be done for the right reasons, and with the right energy source. Begrudging or resentful acts of service do no one any good, least of all the Lord. Our service to God can’t be sustained on the tiny energy reserves of human strength. Bearing fruit for God can only come when we constantly “abide” in our relationship with Jesus. That means our relationship with Him must be our constant home, not a place we visit from time to time. Corporate worship, and the daily disciplines of solitude, prayer and scripture are not things we do if we have time—these are central priorities we build everything else around. When we are walking in the fulness of the Spirit, we will find abundant resources to serve Him joyfully. Apart from Him, as Jesus warns, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Even one of God’s boldest servants, Elijah, became exhausted and anxious when he’d gone too long with his speedometer pegged at top speed. God led him on a private retreat where he could eat some good meals, take some good naps, and recover margin so that he could hear the still, small voice of God again. God was one hundred percent fine with Elijah getting some rest—He built the need for rest into him. So it is with you. I admire and am grateful for all the things you did to make our anniversary celebration truly special. Now, get a little rest so that you can return to the work you love refreshed and with renewed love. Reflect, store up your good memories, and enjoy. God bless you all.
Your Brother and Servant,
Pastor Scott.
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