Dear church family,
Spring is an active time time in Sylva. It always is! Ask almost anybody in our community – landscapers, college students, rafting or fishing guides, or families with young children – how they are doing these days and the answer will likely be, “busy.” Busy with work, study, soccer games, or social events. Busy with chores or doctor’s appointments. Busy with keeping up with the Joneses or keeping up with the world.
And, of course, not all of the spring shuffle is bad. I can certainly relate to the satisfaction that comes at the end of a full day. But there is a difference between work and toil, between God-ordained service and stewardship, and sin-distorted labor and drudgery. The challenge is determining which is which – even in the church. Because congregations are not immune to busyness. If anything, we pride ourselves on bustling gatherings and packed calendars just like any other organization, only we do it in the name of Jesus.
Thankfully, we have a Lord who is patient with us, a God who walks at three miles per hour. When we’re prone to hurry our way through things, I imagine he says, “Slow down and take your time.” When we fuss and stress over our many duties and obligations, I picture him smiling and saying, “Look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.” When we worry that we’re not relevant or successful enough, I wonder if he simply says, “Remain in my love.” Take some time this month to think about what the Lord might be saying to you.
One of the best books I’ve read on this topic is John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. We have a copy in our church library, if you’d like to take a look. In page after page, Comer makes the case for a less hurried and more mindful, thoughtful, and prayerful life, and he offers many helpful steps for putting this into practice. Here is one of my favorite lines: “The solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.” And what really matters? Perhaps our congregation’s mission statement says it best: loving Jesus, loving his curch, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Can we slow down and simplify ourselves around that?
Yours in Christ,
Blake