Based on an informal survey I’ve taken with some of the people in this very room, I get the impression that some of you are beginning to get a little fatigued in your ministries. Praying about what to talk about this week confirmed it. So, this week, we’re going to talk about how to use a little R & R to invigorate your desire and ability to ministry. But we’re not talking about Rest & Relaxation here; we’re talking about Rest & Remembrance.
When I was growing up, Sunday was pretty much the same each and every week… up at 8 am, at church for Sunday School at 9, church at 10:30, lunch somewhere at noon, and then home for the nap. Ah yes… the Sunday nap… there really isn’t anything more amazing in this world. In fact, I myself enjoyed said Sunday nap today after church. As much as I tolerated church (I was just a kid!), I always looked forward to the nap part. Why is that?
Friends, we were MADE to rest. It’s been designed into each of us by God Himself. Let’s see if there are any examples in the Bible for resting… hmm… where would one be? Oh! How about at the time of Creation?
Genesis 2
1Heaven and Earth were finished,
down to the last detail.
2By the seventh day
God had finished his work.
On the seventh day
he rested from all his work.
3God blessed the seventh day.
He made it a Holy Day
Because on that day he rested from his work,
all the creating God had done.
4This is the story of how it all started,
of Heaven and Earth when they were created.
Why did God rest? I mean, he’s God. It’s not like He was feeling worn out or tired from the activities involved in the creation. God rested on the seventh day because He wanted to set an example for his children to follow through the ages. This was so fundamental that God wanted to set an example from the beginning of time… and I’m betting that it is not an example you have been following too well.
How many of you feel “stressed” right now? Not just in ministry, or in any aspect of life? Me too. According to a study published by Britain’s Health Ministry, “The number of workers suffering from stress is increasing, with 58% now complaining of being stressed at work. The survey shows the main causes include increased workloads, staff cuts, long hours and bullying.”
Some stress in our lives is unavoidable. There is so much going on in the world that impacts us directly, but which we have no control over. But much of the stress in our lives comes from the fact that we genuinely are pushing ourselves too hard. I want us to do a little experiment. We’ll do this in our minds right now, but I’m going to encourage each of you to do this on paper a bit later.
Make two columns, and on the left make a list of the obligations you feel take up most of your time, energy, mental or physical efforts. Next, on the right column, write whichever of the following phrases most accurately reflects why it is a priority: My desire to serve God, feelings of “guilt” about not participating, “if I don’t do it, no one else will”, It’s going to help me in the future, God told me to do it, or simply I have to do it.
If your list looks anything like mine, you may discover that many of the obligations in our life are not requirements, nor are they a directive from God. As Americans, we are conditioned to think that any down time is a sign of laziness, that unless we are going non-stop at 100%, we’re not being productive. Nothing can be further from the truth.
Here in America, the percentage of the population with some form of stress-related disorders is double the rate in the rest of the world.
How many weeks of vacation do you get a year? 1 week? 2? In most of Europe, the average worker gets 6 weeks of vacation per year. In many cultures, people take a half hour mid-afternoon break. In Britain, for example, they have “tea time”. All of these things are designed to offer our engines a chance to rest.
I drive a Ford Taurus, so this doesn’t apply to me. But some of you will notice that your car has a tachometer that tells how many RPM your engine is running at. At the high point of the scale, the color changes from white to red. Is it safe for you to push your car into the red here and there? Absolutely. But what would happen if you constantly ran it in the red? You’d burn out the engine. The same is true with us. You can push yourself into the red when times require it, but living there constantly will cause fatigue, and eventually will burn out your desire to participate in the very activity you were so driven to perform.
So what is the answer? It sounds simple, but is one of the hardest things to do. Slow down, and learn to say no. I know… I know…. I am the same way. I want people to be happy, and many times I tell myself that if I don’t do it myself, it will not be done properly, or it won’t get done at all.
You need balance in your life. We all do. By running yourself to such extremes, you are impacting EVERY area in your life negatively. By dropping just one or two of your “obligations”, you can positively impact the remaining ones in a very real and very powerful way.
Okay, enough about the first R. Let’s talk about the second… remembrance. What does that mean? Well, let’s turn to our good friend Merriam-Webster online:
Main Entry: re·mem·brance
1 : the state of bearing in mind
2 a : the ability to
remember :
MEMORY b : the
period over which one's memory extends
3 : an act of recalling to mind
4 : a memory of a person, thing, or event
5 a : something that serves to keep in or bring to mind :
REMINDER
In short, remembrance is both the act of recalling to mind a past event, as well as something that facilitates that recall. Probably the most famous remembrance in the scripture is communion, as written in Luke 22:
14When the hour came,
Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them,
"I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For
I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of
God."
17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and
divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the
fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them,
saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
But this is not the only place through scripture the principal of remembrance is demonstrated. In fact, throughout scriptures, the men & women of God built altars as a remembrance of God’s faithfulness, or to mark a significant turning point in their lives. Some of my favorite “alters of remembrance” includes Noah’s alter after the flood (Genesis 8), and the alter Moses built after he had been given the law, as recorded in Exodus 24:
3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." 4 Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
Why did they do this? Simple. In each case, the participant knew that God has promised to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. This means that in times of difficulty or strife… the times where we feel abandoned by God, we can look back at the alters we constructed as a reminder of God’s past faithfulness. As time progresses, our memory becomes blurry. The optimists among us begin to forget the bad times, only able to remember the good times. By building alters along the journey of life, we have something tangible to remind us of God’s faithfulness.
At least in my life, it’s not exactly convenient for me to build a carefully arranged stack of stones whenever I feel that I have crossed a point in my life that needs to be easily recalled. But hey, if that works for you, great!
For the rest of us, there is a different approach we can take that is much more portable… a life journal.
I know… he’s pitching those silly life journals again. You’d think I got a commission on them or something. Alas, no. But I want to talk about how important these are in our lives.
First, it gives us a place all our own to record our experiences with God, and how his love, his Spirit, and his word have impacted us. Next, it gives us a place to pour out our most joyous or painful feelings. A life journal is not simply something that you write “Dear Diary” in. It’s something that is an active record of your life… unscripted & uncensored.
By keeping a life journal, you will be able to look back over the past and see where God has led you, the strife that occurred by being obedient and how God delivered you from the trials and troubles you experienced.
While I have not kept a journal specifically targeted towards my spiritual life, I have kept a journal online since the day I first moved to Merced, over a year and a half ago. I want to read a post I wrote on April 2, 2003:
“I don't know... it seems even more difficult since Jonathan is gone every night with his fiancé, and I am stuck at home with my thoughts. I don't fault Jonathan, I mean; he totally is doing what I would do if our roles were reversed. Maybe moving to the other side of the country wasn't the best idea... Oh well, hindsight is 20-20 and all.”
The way I now feel about my decision to move is night and day different. But by being able to look back at how I was hurting, I am able to be reminded of God’s unfailing love, and his perfect plan.
I want to propose a challenge to each of you. The Life Journals are $5. I am going to buy one tonight, and begin to document my spiritual life in detail. I would like each of you to do the same. If you don’t have $5, come see me and I’ll buy one for you. Journal your spiritual walk for 30 days. If, at the end of 30 days, you don’t see a change in your attitude towards God, ministry, or simply living, I’ll refund your money.
The best barometer we have for looking forward is remembering the past.
So, what should you take from tonight’s message? Two things. First, SLOW DOWN! Afford yourself the God-designed opportunity to relax and simply rest in Him. Next, begin building alters in your life as a way to remember where you’ve been, and as a result, being able to see where you are going. When we live a balanced life, we are more effective. And when we have a way to accurately remember our pasts, we can rejoice in knowing that God will, as He ALWAYS has, provide our entire need.
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