There will be lot of people who are pretty much at the end of their rope at the moment. The NHS is at breaking point, people are being asked to go above and beyond in their jobs to make sure that we 'get through this'. There will be people not working; furloughed for the second or third time, all the while the isolation and time spend not expressing ourselves through work is hugely damaging mental health and wellbeing.
The situation is just a bit crap.
To say the least.
In many ways 2020 was the very worst year of my (relatively short) life; full of stress, confidence issues, bereavement, social isolation and inner turmoil. Covid didn't help but a lot more than the pandemic really took its toll on me.
However in many ways 2020 was one of the very best years of my life so far. With less to do after work or at the weekend due to travel and lockdown restrictions, I had time.
Time to do jobs that I'd been putting off for a while.
Time to finish off my degree with fewer distractions.
Time to read the bible more.
Time to pray more.
Time to read other books - something I used to love. And now do again.
This time spent doing other things allowed me to slow down just enough to see that my life is chaotic, filled with needless distraction and procrastination.
The key to 2020 being such a good year for me is that I have grown deeper in my faith and trust in God and his promises.
I started a bible in a year app last spring, just as I was starting to hit a really tough time at work, with plenty else going on where I really felt as if I was fighting to keep my head above water, just to make it to the next day. The bible readings at the time were subjected around people like King David, King Solomon, Joshua, Samuel, and others who were all:
- Broken like me
- Human like me
- Not perfect like me
- Experiencing truly terrible things (almost like me..)
And yet I was so encouraged.
Time and time again, God used these imperfect people to work his perfect plans throughout history. Not only that, He was enforcing these trials on them so that they learn lessons. Truly making good out of bad situations.
...for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.*
Maybe, just maybe, God may be in control of my awful situation and that there will be rest and peace and light at the end of the tunnel.
And there was…
A new job, a renewed fire and trust in God has left me utterly energised and peace-filled, joy-filled, love-filled.
Not peace as in, 'peace and quiet', deep inner peace that is unaffected by what's going on around me.
Not joy as in happiness, a thankfulness and effervescent energy that bubbles within me, driving me on that is also unaffected by the crap that hits the fan.
And not love as in…. well actually yes love as in love; for all things, for all people, for myself, for the people who would like to do me some harm, for the people who don't like me or perhaps go out their way to make my life difficult, of those who are just difficult!! This is Godly love. Love we are shown when we don't deserve it.
The process to get to where I am hasn't been easy and I've had some tough inner decisions to make about where I sit in terms of the proverbial fence. I've had to break some foundations of what I thought were my fundamental understanding and beliefs, and that's not been easy because at times I've felt like I haven't known myself.
There is a story/analogy/metaphor in Matthew's book in the Bible, (Matthew lived with, and was an apprentice of Jesus) a story I had heard countless times as a child about men building their houses, that really resonated with me recently when I read it again recently.
One man build his house on sand, no foundation. It was probably a lovely house and he worked very hard on it and it was just as he wanted. But when a storm came (life) the house fell flat because there was nothing at its root to make it strong.
Another man build his house on rock, firm foundation. The same thing happens to the second man but his house stands strong and undamaged.**
The connection with me is that I truly understand what Jesus was teaching in this illustration. Lives built on Him (Jesus, God, His Spirit) and His teaching and way of life are strong, and when the storms of life come, I will stand strong on his foundations.
I've just started a book called The Relentless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer. I'm absolutely lapping it up. In it he identifies why our lives get busy, why we are seemingly increasing in stress year on year and essentially how more time spent doing things in our life, the less time we're spending being with God and developing out trust in him. Even if you don't yet have that relationship with God, you could say your family, or friends, or even just your presence in the world.
He pulls out an offering from Jesus, again recorded by our friend Matthew in the 11th chapter. There is a paraphrased version of the bible called The Message, compiled by Eugene Peterson (legend) that puts it so beautifully:
“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.”^
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace…. Wow.
I want to live life freely and lightly.
Jesus' solution to our hurried, stress-instilled and ever quickening lives is not to stop working - absence of work would send us all crazy - but to work in step with him, at his pace, "taking "[his] yoke upon [us], and learn[ing] from [him], for [he is] gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For [his] yoke is easy, and [his] burden is light.”
I'm not fully there yet, I'm still pretty good at filling my time with 'stuff', when I could be learning those unforced rhythms of grace, however I have come to learn over the last few months that there is a different way. A stillness in the craziness of life that we all have time for.
So,
I challenge you to take 1 week and replace [insert here] from your life with reading a book (the bible would be great… but any good book will do), going for a walk, drawing or painting, listening to a motivational podcast, learning a new language! You get the picture, something wholesome and pleasing to the soul.
If you need any ideas of what to [insert here] then here are a few:
Netflix
Scrolling through Insta/FB/Twitter/TikTok
Reading emails
Internet shopping
Be still, see how it goes and see how much you might do in just 1 week. Next time someone asks you, "How are you?", don't give them the stock answer: "Yeah good, just busy." when you know that you're wasting hours doing something like scrolling instagram for 2 hours a day or binge-watching the next popularist TV show on Amazon Prime.
Answer with: "I'm great, I've been reading this new book…", or "I'm good thanks, I've started learning to cook so my family can eat meals at the table together", or "Yeah I'm okay thanks, I've lost 6lbs because I've been taking 20min walks each day for a couple of weeks…"
How much better will you feel having proper conversation, having done something meaningful, with people who you care for and want to encourage and build up too. Just imagine, what a world we could live in.
*from the book of Paul to the Roman church, 28th verse of chapter 8.
**My paraphrase of the teaching of Jesus from Matthew's book. 7th chapter, verses 24 to 27
^Message version of the bible, chapter 11 verses 28-30. The bible translation is "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (English Standard Version)
