I've been in Florida for a week, so blog posting didn't get done. I took my laptop with me and convinced myself that I would keep up with it, but that turned out to be a pipe dream. I didn't do church work on vacation. Novel idea, right?
I want to followup on two ideas shared in your comments last week: how busyness effects servanthood, and how we tend to get enslaved to various things in life.
First, I think that its easy to put off being a servant of Jesus until a better, less stressful and hectic time in our life. We say: I'll get serious when the kids are older, when my job gets less demanding, when I reach a certain stage in life or status in my career. My observation is that this moment never comes. Every stage of life is filled with its own preoccupying challenges. Pace of life issues seem to be imbedded in our DNA for the full 80 plus years of our existence. We've drunk the koolaid that "busier is better," and "more activity means a fuller life." We have been striken with a virtually incurable syndrome: CMI. (Cram More In)
Somehow we need to learn to be servants NOW. Somehow we need to find peace and rest and sanity NOW. And as some of you suggested that often means saying NO. You can't have it all.
By trying to not miss out on anything we might miss out on the most important things. Perhaps in the spiritual realm less is more.
Secondly, there are many things in life that enslave us: career ambitions, visions of being the perfect parent, our imagined lifesyle goals, fun on the weekend, thrills and excitement, having a healthy body, the need to appear successful, the winning of someone's approval, etc. Obviously not all these things are completely bad, but slavery to them crowds out other things including God.
Bob Dylan wrote a song, "You've gotta serve someone." God seems a better choice to me.
What is it that you serve that you wish you could break free of?
What would you like to say"no" to in order to gain extra time and space?
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Chris Donnelly wrote:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! The busyness of life never goes away, even though we wait for “quieter days ahead” they just don’t come. Sometimes I’d like to say “no” to my second job because that would allow for extra breathing room in my week. However the extra money is needed to pay all of our creditor friends! I’ve decided to look at my second job as an opportunity to be around more people and be a witness for Christ. I can go there and whine about how tired I am, or I can show up with a Christ like attitude of service. I can offer a friendly smile, or a word of encouragement, or an ounce of support to someone who might need exactly that.
I loved what Sharon said last week about wearing a badge and it dawned on me that my dad has worn a badge for over 30 years! My dad wears a button the size of a .50 piece that simply says “Jesus” on it! He has worn this button as long as I can remember. Every picture we have of him, there it is! When our boys were little and would sit on his lap, they would play with “Grandpa’s Jesus button!” He puts it on as routinely as we put on our shoes. He wears it with pride and if for some reason he’s not wearing it, all he hears that day is “Tom, where is your Jesus button??” He wore it on his white shirt under his tuxedo jacket on my wedding day! My dad’s life has been one of complete service to Jesus; that button is his badge, his daily reminder of his life as a servant for Christ.
Can we wear something similar? A cross pendant, a bracelet, something? I do believe that when we have that constant reminder on us, we are better servants. I imagine it would be more difficult to gossip at work, or to be short with someone, or to cut someone off if I was wearing a Jesus badge! If a badge of some sort is what it takes to remind me to be a servant, than I’m all for wearing it! I’m not embarrassed to admit I need reminders!! Thankfully, we have a patient God!
I wish the serving of money wasn't such a priority in not only my life but everyone i know too.
ReplyDeleteIn the light of the above comment I would like to say no to creating more bills..:)
Okay - maybe the blog is turning into a self-help group, let's take proper form guys: My name is Sharon Stauffer and I suffer from Cram More In. LOL! Anyway, here's an idea to wonder about... can servanthood get in the way of servanthood? What is she talking about you wonder? - Well, I've taken on a few things I first interpreted as servanthood - tutoring a 10th grader in all her core subjects, teaching a class on creation/evolution to a class of 14 jr.highers at our homeschool group, in addition to being in charge of the nursery for that all-day homeschool group and now... after doing these things for awhile, although they're all "good" and "serving", I question if they're getting in the way of my daily walk - now don't get me wrong these aren't things I want to back out of and they are all temporary - but... if I was to list the things I'd like to quit doing to get more time it would look like this -
ReplyDeleteI want to quit doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms and ironing! Yee HA! I'm more than willing to give up these things and spend that time with Jesus, but that also is NOT likely and you'd all object when we arrived at church next week. I know my hubby and lots of others might say work, I'll quit work and spend that time with Jesus! There are so many "haftas" we just can't escape.
So it becomes a battle of the leftover time - do I workout or read my Bible this morning... do I read bedtime stories to the kids or pray tonight? ahhh servanthood should be freeing, not stressful. I think for meeting # 2 of CMI anon. we should go on a field trip to get a Jesus pin!
I have asked myself many times lately, "when am I going to be satisfied?" Satisfied with a house, a car, my career, my second career and any other items that we tend to progressively strive for.
ReplyDeleteI think that if I become satisfied in the progress of those things, I won't endlessly pursue them. They can really get in the way of my time and attention to spiritual things.
I grew up on a dairy farm that was an incredibly simplified life compared to the one I have today and yet I was just as happy in that lifestyle as I am now, I have just subjected myself to all the work required to maintain the pursuit of all of the added things in this lifestyle.
I would like to break free from the bond that everything in my life has to continuously improve, grow, achieve, ascend, etc. We shy away from the idea of wanting to maintain a pace with many things because we fear the routine of it and how boring and monotonous it will make our lives.
But in doing so, we enable ourselves to continue pursuit of greater things like our spirituality.
I like what Chris said about work: "I can go there and whine about how tired I am, or I can show up with a Christ like attitude of service. I can offer a friendly smile, or a word of encouragement, or an ounce of support to someone who might need exactly that". I also second what Sharon said about so many "haftas". In my case, I "hafta" work and "hafta" raise my kids, so as tired as I get sometimes, I'll remind myself that I can "count it all joy" that I can serve Christ in all things. By the way Sharon, I like your idea for a field trip!
ReplyDeleteAt times I would like to break free of having to be a person that everyone looks to for advice, help, an ear to listen, and even to make sure that they take their morning medications. i am truly a "servant" to others. I have this type of a personality- I work in my profession as an RN- working with the poor and many people that are struggling in life. I am also a Mom and a Daughter. My life is filled with serving others! Honestly, sometimes I am just tired of serving! and then I know that without doing for others, I would not be happy!
ReplyDeleteI have to post as 'Anonymous' because I do not know what other profile will work. This is Andrea Garling.
ReplyDelete