Last month I had an operation.
Nothing serious but something that was going to keep me off work for at least 3 weeks. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to it. It wasn’t the pain of the operation or the recovery in hospital after the operation. It was the fact that I was going to be out of action from work for at least 3 weeks. I know that my work doesn’t centre on me but the very idea that I would not be present in my job filled me with fear. What would happen if a student had a problem? What if a decision needed to be made urgently and I wasn’t there? What if, what if, what if? As I looked at my diary there was no good month for me to have this surgery and I kept postponing it yet I was putting my health at risk.
So why is it so hard to stop? Why do we think our job or our work revolves around us? Reality is, more likely than not, that work has become our idol, busyness is our badge of honour and we start viewing our relationship with God through the lenses of what we do rather than who we are. Here are a couple of things I learnt during this period
God is more interested in our intimacy with him rather than our busyness
God isn’t sitting in heaven making notes about everything I do and don’t do and if I don’t make my ‘goal’ that month God is going to be angry at me. This is not true. God is far more interested in me, my thoughts, my feelings, my fears rather than a tick list of things I do. He calls us into a place of intimacy as his children. Our identity is children and that is what He is interested in.
God’s plans continue even if you have to stop
The harsh truth that hit me was that God is far bigger than I can even comprehend and imagine. He is the creator of heaven and earth, the sky and the seas and his plans for this earth are continuous. He will keep going even if I need to stop. Everything isn’t going to crumble in God’s plan if I am out of action. But, that’s the beauty, God has this whole world in his hand and that includes me!
Learning how to stop means learning how to go
When we learn to stop, to seek God, to be still, we get filled with everything we need to step out and continue with all God’s calls us to. But instead of going out of a place of duty we go because we know we are loved, because we hear our Father’s voice and we step out in love.
So where do you need to stop in your life to let God in?
Where have you allowed your work or your ministry to become and idol in your life?
