This summer has been a season of
wrestling to find the wise and healthy “place” the Lord has for me—and for all
his children—somewhere between chronic restlessness and sinful complacency.
On the one hand, Jesus offers us “rest”:
Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28). He brings peace (John 20:19, 20). So release your anxieties into his fatherly
care (Matt 6:25-34)! Don’t worry about
anything, but pray about everything—that’s how we receive God’s peace that
passes understanding (Phil 4:4-7).
Christians under pressure (e.g., 1 Pet 4:12) are to cast their anxieties
on God since he cares for them (5:7).
The life Christ calls you to, here and
now, is one of peace, rest, and humble trust.
Anxiety breaks out in our souls when we forget who we are—and who the
Lord is! But godly contentment takes root as we lift up our eyes to the One who loves
and saves and sustains and cares for us eternally (Psalm 121:1-2;
123:1-2). Are you walking with Jesus
today in an attitude of contentment? Or
is your heart being lured by the Enemy into a fretful, anxious, contentious
state?
The thing about the restless, straining,
driven, overly idealistic path is that, the further you take it, the harder it
is to get back. We know we ought to “be still” (Ps 46:10), but we feed off of the ego
boost that comes with all our great work and in imagining ourselves so far
ahead of others, and we want more. And more! Yes, God is able to deliver us from this
swamp—but you may lose the desire to turn to him!
So peace, rest, calm… that’s the one
hand. On the other hand, the Bible calls us to a life of striving: Jesus goes on in Matthew 6 to teach his
disciples to “seek first God’s kingdom.”
Seek. Paul tells his story of relentless straining
and striving, pressing on, pursuing the prize (Phil 3:12-14); he portrays the
life of faith in terms of diligent labor (2 Tim 2:1-7). God says, You
will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jer 29:13). Lukewarm, ho-hum, blasé spirituality in the
church is revolting to the Lord (Rev 3:16).
So we’re called to a restless
restfulness, a discontented contentment.
That’s our paradox. And it’s a
very delicate balance: we fallen humans
easily slide into one sad propensity or the other—that is, to relax our way
beyond contentment into complacency and self-serving mediocrity, OR to strive
our way beyond the quest for growth in godliness so we end up as proud,
straining achievers who really long to feature our own success rather than the
glory of Christ.
What’s more, in some seasons of life we
lose balance in an ambitious, striving direction, while in others we tip toward
sloth, stifled imagination, and lost vision of earlier dreams. In light of the fact that we oscillate like
that, how can we thrive together in Christ
as a church community? For example, as a
family with loved ones at different “places” along the continuum living under
the same roof—strivers and resters? Or
as a church family made up of members who are in every possible position along
the striving-resting spectrum?
Here are a few words of encouragement when it comes to shaping a life of
discerning, humble, hopeful spirituality.
First, remember that we all still have a long way to go in terms of
spiritual growth. Which is to say: you have not “arrived,” nor is your case hopeless,
nor are you too old to make new strides, nor are you too young to have grand
hopes. Settling into a life of
“settling” dishonors the Lord: he is at
work in you to will and to accomplish his good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13), and his
good pleasure includes your development of a healthy, humble rhythm of
spiritual life that truly rests in God’s love and that also truly presses on in
pursuit of Christ.
Second, be on the lookout for your own
“signature sins” (to borrow a phrase from Michael Mangis’s book by the same
title). Know thyself.
Are you prone to slip into the mire of self-pity or doubt or sloth—and
are those actually expressions of unbelief?
Or are you inclined to plateau and lock in to a no-change life—and is
that actually a way to try and exert control and insulate yourself from life’s
harsh winds and waves? Or, in the other
direction, are you prone to push and pull and strive and strain, always seeking
more, never at peace, ever chasing some magnificent ideal—yet is that actually
a way your heart slides into self-promotion mode while sidelining Jesus Christ?
Third, have mercy on your brothers and
sisters in Christ, even if they’re driving you crazy with raging ambition or torpid
sluggishness. Be patient (1 Thess 5:14). Lovingly encourage one another (Heb
3:12-13). And bear with one another,
always ready to forgive: you must forgive, just as Christ has
forgiven you (Col 3:13).
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