5. Pursuit
25/11/09 21:16
Life is busy. It seems that with all our computers and time saving devices that life is easier in terms of manual labour but time has diminished. The bill of goods we were sold in the 70s was that computers and technology would free us up to have more leisure time. The education faculty insisted that teachers in training take outdoor education classes, as it would be our role to guide our students into lifelong leisure sports and activities. What happened?
England and America seem to thrive on 50+ hour workweeks not including commuting time. There is very little leisure time, especially if you add on your church commitments. The idea of a day of rest is non-existent. We do jobs around the home on Saturday and then volunteer at church on Sunday. Back to work on Monday hoping for a little rest.
As I was preparing to church plant I read every book I could get my hands on by others who had started a church from scratch. One of the books said that you should not have more than 5 meetings a month outside of Sunday for the church. If you exceeded that, the church member would be forced to cut something out of their schedule. What they cut was personal time with the Lord. They would axe that in favour of maintaining time with the family. So the busy people in the church essentially become the ones least in touch with the Lord. Those who most need to flow with the Spirit of God are the ones who are functioning in a deficit position.
The intention is good and honourable but the result is disastrous to your spiritual maturity and intimacy with God. Cutting out time with the Lord is similar to fasting in its effect. You stop eating and the first 3 days are agony. You are so hungry at times you think you’re going to die. But then, if you continue, your desire for food diminishes, the hunger pangs abate. You may think about food, particularly at meal times but your body isn’t demanding it. The Presence of God is like that. During a busy time you think constantly about how you need to get some time alone with the Lord. Then after awhile that pang you were feeling diminishes completely. You end up only having vague memories of what it was like before but you have settled into the malaise of the humdrum.
Jesus said in Matt 5:6 that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is a key component to thriving in your spiritual walk. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Are you saying yes because you now feel guilty for not pursuing Him? Be honest with yourself. It happens to everyone because no one is perfect. Life is busy. But rather than stay in that condition what can you do to once again engage with God.
The first thing is acknowledging that you need to change what you are doing. If you don’t recognise that you are too busy to pray, you won’t change anything. Once you have acknowledged that, you can look at ways to get back in the flow. It may take some difficult decisions to make a change. You may have to tell a leader that you need to stop volunteering in some capacity. When trying to resign, you may face subtle pressure to keep going. Don’t succumb to guilt and obligation. Believe me, they will find another volunteer. You are probably ministering from an empty well anyway so it isn’t actually doing anyone that much good. Tell them that you will reconsider in six months time but for now you need the time off. Remember it is easier for them if you stay on but if you don’t, they will find a replacement. You are not indispensable, really!
Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms! You have probably been busy for a long time and your body has gotten used to the schedule. In fact you may have been substituting activity to feel better spiritually because you feel like you are doing something constructive and helpful. You may have felt good about yourself and rather fulfilled by your activities. But activity is a poor substitute for relationship. Remember Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21 – 23) We can serve but does it mean we are known where it counts? It can look good from the outside but did He ask you to do that?
I know what some of you are thinking. You wrote about the different pathways to meet with the Lord. What if my pathway is being an activist? Then you won’t be feeling spiritually drained and out of touch with your Lord. Your life and growth in the Spirit should be strong. But if you are drained, wondering when the last time was that you knew that you knew you heard the Lord, then you need to change your activities and pursue the Lord.
You need to refocus. At this point you need “you time” so that you can be replenished. It would probably help to book a short retreat. Get some time away to kick-start the process. If you haven’t been reading the word, start by listening to it on audio recordings. Let it soak into you. Then start to follow along with your bible. The narrator will maintain a steady pace so that you don’t drift off into daydreams.
When was the last time you listened to a recording of someone outside your church or your denomination? You have probably listened to lots of sermons at church but it is good to hear a different voice that may challenge your comfort zone. You don’t have to agree with the speaker. The point is to provoke fresh thought and questions to discuss with the Lord. The thought process should either help you confirm what you already believe or get you growing with more insight.
When was the last time you read a book and didn’t preach from it after? When was the last time you read the word not looking for a message to share? Stop thinking about ministering to others and start thinking about filling yourself up. When you get filled up, you’ll over flow to others naturally.
Finally, think about the different pathways that are satisfying to you. Start pursuing them. If it’s nature, book your holiday by the beach or in a rainforest. If it’s ascetic, lock yourself away at a monastery for three days. If it’s enthusiasm, go to a big conference and sit in the front row. If it’s activist, then re-evaluate your priorities and chose the causes that give you life. If it’s an intellectual, then read a good book or go to a museum or space centre or some place that will awe you at the bigness of our God. If it’s a caregiver, then do some random acts of kindness. If it’s contemplative, then buy a new journal and start writing a double diary with Him.
Your spiritual life can be like a well that hasn’t been used for a long time. The seals on the pump may have dried up and need some priming before they expand enough to form a vacuum that draws the water up and out. Give it some gentle priming and expect an overflow. Remember the Lord wants to meet with you more than you want to with Him. I John 4:19 states, “We love because He first loved us”. He is eagerly waiting for you to pursue Him and He will overwhelm you with His love.
England and America seem to thrive on 50+ hour workweeks not including commuting time. There is very little leisure time, especially if you add on your church commitments. The idea of a day of rest is non-existent. We do jobs around the home on Saturday and then volunteer at church on Sunday. Back to work on Monday hoping for a little rest.
As I was preparing to church plant I read every book I could get my hands on by others who had started a church from scratch. One of the books said that you should not have more than 5 meetings a month outside of Sunday for the church. If you exceeded that, the church member would be forced to cut something out of their schedule. What they cut was personal time with the Lord. They would axe that in favour of maintaining time with the family. So the busy people in the church essentially become the ones least in touch with the Lord. Those who most need to flow with the Spirit of God are the ones who are functioning in a deficit position.
The intention is good and honourable but the result is disastrous to your spiritual maturity and intimacy with God. Cutting out time with the Lord is similar to fasting in its effect. You stop eating and the first 3 days are agony. You are so hungry at times you think you’re going to die. But then, if you continue, your desire for food diminishes, the hunger pangs abate. You may think about food, particularly at meal times but your body isn’t demanding it. The Presence of God is like that. During a busy time you think constantly about how you need to get some time alone with the Lord. Then after awhile that pang you were feeling diminishes completely. You end up only having vague memories of what it was like before but you have settled into the malaise of the humdrum.
Jesus said in Matt 5:6 that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is a key component to thriving in your spiritual walk. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Are you saying yes because you now feel guilty for not pursuing Him? Be honest with yourself. It happens to everyone because no one is perfect. Life is busy. But rather than stay in that condition what can you do to once again engage with God.
The first thing is acknowledging that you need to change what you are doing. If you don’t recognise that you are too busy to pray, you won’t change anything. Once you have acknowledged that, you can look at ways to get back in the flow. It may take some difficult decisions to make a change. You may have to tell a leader that you need to stop volunteering in some capacity. When trying to resign, you may face subtle pressure to keep going. Don’t succumb to guilt and obligation. Believe me, they will find another volunteer. You are probably ministering from an empty well anyway so it isn’t actually doing anyone that much good. Tell them that you will reconsider in six months time but for now you need the time off. Remember it is easier for them if you stay on but if you don’t, they will find a replacement. You are not indispensable, really!
Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms! You have probably been busy for a long time and your body has gotten used to the schedule. In fact you may have been substituting activity to feel better spiritually because you feel like you are doing something constructive and helpful. You may have felt good about yourself and rather fulfilled by your activities. But activity is a poor substitute for relationship. Remember Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21 – 23) We can serve but does it mean we are known where it counts? It can look good from the outside but did He ask you to do that?
I know what some of you are thinking. You wrote about the different pathways to meet with the Lord. What if my pathway is being an activist? Then you won’t be feeling spiritually drained and out of touch with your Lord. Your life and growth in the Spirit should be strong. But if you are drained, wondering when the last time was that you knew that you knew you heard the Lord, then you need to change your activities and pursue the Lord.
You need to refocus. At this point you need “you time” so that you can be replenished. It would probably help to book a short retreat. Get some time away to kick-start the process. If you haven’t been reading the word, start by listening to it on audio recordings. Let it soak into you. Then start to follow along with your bible. The narrator will maintain a steady pace so that you don’t drift off into daydreams.
When was the last time you listened to a recording of someone outside your church or your denomination? You have probably listened to lots of sermons at church but it is good to hear a different voice that may challenge your comfort zone. You don’t have to agree with the speaker. The point is to provoke fresh thought and questions to discuss with the Lord. The thought process should either help you confirm what you already believe or get you growing with more insight.
When was the last time you read a book and didn’t preach from it after? When was the last time you read the word not looking for a message to share? Stop thinking about ministering to others and start thinking about filling yourself up. When you get filled up, you’ll over flow to others naturally.
Finally, think about the different pathways that are satisfying to you. Start pursuing them. If it’s nature, book your holiday by the beach or in a rainforest. If it’s ascetic, lock yourself away at a monastery for three days. If it’s enthusiasm, go to a big conference and sit in the front row. If it’s activist, then re-evaluate your priorities and chose the causes that give you life. If it’s an intellectual, then read a good book or go to a museum or space centre or some place that will awe you at the bigness of our God. If it’s a caregiver, then do some random acts of kindness. If it’s contemplative, then buy a new journal and start writing a double diary with Him.
Your spiritual life can be like a well that hasn’t been used for a long time. The seals on the pump may have dried up and need some priming before they expand enough to form a vacuum that draws the water up and out. Give it some gentle priming and expect an overflow. Remember the Lord wants to meet with you more than you want to with Him. I John 4:19 states, “We love because He first loved us”. He is eagerly waiting for you to pursue Him and He will overwhelm you with His love.
