It's strange to me that my earliest class during the week is 11:30, and today, I don't even have one until 1:30. This leaves me much time for pondering what to do with my time.
Huzzah!
There are always more things that can be done. I have this fantastic ability to note those particular things, and to beat myself up if I can't think of activities other than non-work or non-ministry related ones. For me, these usually are: reading, writing, HALO, going on walks, having people over and talking with my husband. I fear that if I do these for any length of time, I might be squandering my life.
I am discouraged by that thought. Then, I remember that God is a God of joy and inner peace. There is hard and tiring work to be done, and He provides grace for us as we do it (both preparation and execution). However, I believe there is a tiredness of God and tiredness of the flesh. I cannot ignore that God has said "His yoke is easy and His burden is light," as well as that "His commands are not burdensome."
Not burdensome does not mean not difficult. I think we can agree that a Christian life comes with spiritual, emotional and physical difficulty. However, for my part, I do a heart check when I merely feel saddled by myriad good projects I "have to" do for God.
No matter how many "good things" I'm doing, they aren't good if they are done merely to tick the checklist of guiltless self-fulfillment, or to earn God's love and pleasure.
I think that absolutely everything we do is means of glorifying God, even reading, writing, HALO...you get the picture!
What does that glorification look like, specifically? I suspect it is a position of the heart, and not something I can achieve by striving and striving.
Shoot me your thoughts.
-Jaimie
Okay, I've kept this post highlighted, saving it to shoot you my thoughts for so long now, but this is all I have to add here and now.
ReplyDeleteWould you like me to come over with my lie-sweeping broom? You seem to have it, but my broom is practiced, too. :)