That pace is unsustainable

Do you ever feel like your life is just not working out the right way? Some of us are merely burned out on life. We have been doing everything right, but everything still seems to go wrong. Life just isn't working. We can do all the right stuff, all the while seeing all kinds of hypocrisy around us, leaving us to wonder if this life we are living is filled with all the right stuff. There might not be a whole lot of 'drama' in our lives, but there are times when we don't feel happy or fulfilled. If we are dependent upon the feeling of happiness to evaluate the 'rightness' of our lives, we will likely all feel a little disappointed at times.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7)

We know the way we say something, or do something really matters. We can do something in a totally ineffective way. Most of the time we think of the way we live out Christianity is to adhere to truth. We forget that we are to reflect the truth Christ taught - the way we live is as important as the truth we believe. We are to be 'people of the way' - the way we live is to be more than right theology and strong morality. We are to live and love the way Jesus did it while living on this earth. Compare the way Jesus lived to the way we live and we might just see a big difference!

Jesus interacted with people - interacting with them 'full of joy'. He didn't exhibit worry or anxiety. He lived in peace because of the truth he knew. He stopped to spend time with the needy around him. He was consumed with intimate fellowship with his Father. Herein might be the difference today - we get so distracted by all the things that take away from that intimate fellowship. Jesus is not just the truth and the light - he is the example we are to follow. He is the example of truth and light - he lived it out for us so we could learn to live it out with him.

As we move away from the complexity of life, we find peace. We find fellowship with Christ becomes easier. We have filled our lives with things we think will make us better people, but we forget the 'better' in us comes as we stop 'doing' and focus more on just living as Christ did. You see, Jesus was not about the 'doing' - he was about the 'being'. The 'way' we are to live is to just take the time we need to 'be' and not 'do'. We have time for the things we make time for in our lives. Sometimes we have to disconnect from what we have been doing in order to understand what it is we are to 'be'. Just sayin!

Blessed in "being", not in "doing"

We all want blessings in this life, don't we?  After all, we work hard, do our best to raise our families in the right way, are loyal and devoted friends - so why is it wrong to think there might be a little blessing waiting for us? I think we all think blessings are equated with our "doing" rather than our "being".  I like what our pastor says, "Humans are beings, not doings".  Chew on that one a bit and you will see the wisdom in those words.  We get so focused on the "doing" of life, we forget the original intent is for us to "be".  "Beings" are content in "being" what God has created them to "be".  It gives a sense of great satisfaction and ultimate blessing to those who learn to walk not in the "doing" of life, but in the "being" of life.  Doing follows being - when our "being" is connected to Christ as it should be, our "doing" will follow in obedient and right living.

Great blessings belong to those who fear and respect the Lord, who are happy to do what he commands. Their descendants will be given power on earth. Those who do right will be greatly blessed. Their family will be very rich, and their goodness will continue forever. A light shines in the dark for those who are good, for those who are merciful, kind, and fair. (Psalm 112:1-4 ERV)

"Being" involves relationship - when we were created as human beings, God didn't just create us as another one of the moving creatures of this earth.  He created us uniquely like him - so we could relate to and with him.  Why is it we humans are attracted to other humans?  Isn't it because we find we can "relate" to one another?  On a rare occasion, we might find a pet of some kind who we "relate" to such as our special horse, or the pup we raised from infancy.  Yet, to be perfectly honest here, we don't actually "relate" in quite the same way with those pets.  We love them, care for them, protect them, etc.  What we get in return is a sense of loyalty - they are by our side, and may even come to our rescue if we were hurt at some point.  Yet, they are not humans and are incapable of relating to us with the same set of emotions, spiritual connection, and physical attributes of another human.  We were created to relate to the ones closest to our "created type".

That means we were created to relate to God first and foremost.  We are actually created in his image, so it makes sense we are "designed" to relate to and with him.  It is one thing to relate "to" someone - we kind of connect with that individual because of the similarities we have.  It is another to relate "with" that individual - because in so doing, we begin to share not only the "safe stuff", but that stuff we might be carrying around which we have labeled as "unsafe" to be shared in common with everyone else.  God is our safe place, my friend.  He is the person we can share those things with when no one else can relate to us in that moment or those circumstances.  We do ourselves a great disservice when we hold back from sharing with God those things which give us the greatest angst in life.  

As I indicated, doing is an off-shoot of being.  We "do" because we are comfortable with the "being".  When I am comfortable with my relationship with Jesus, I find myself "doing" the things which bring him joy and great pleasure. This is sometimes called "obedience".  When I am uncomfortable for any reason within this relationship, it is usually because I have veered into "doing" what is not very honoring of the relationship.  I find myself at a distance from him because I choose to step away from the closeness of this relationship (even for just a moment or two).  In time, my "doing" causes my "being" to be disturbed. If this disturbance is not addressed timely, it impacts the relationship and I pull further away until I find the chasm wide and deep.  The good news is that God is quite adept at "bridge-making".  Even when I don't recognize how to cross that chasm created by my "doing", God makes a way through his forgiveness and restoration.

Blessing isn't related to "doing" everything right.  It is related to "being" everything we are created to be - living, breathing, worshiping creatures - deeply in love with the one who created us to live, gave breath to our souls, and creates the music in our spirit which gives voice in our worship.  Just sayin!