I’m Too Busy To Rest
In my quiet time this morning, Jesus told me he wants me to rest. Nothing so unusual about that, is there? This is the God who created the sabbath after all. The guy who took the seventh day off, right?
“But Jesus” I protested, “I still have 15 cabinet doors to paint. I’m too busy to rest!” (I’m transforming my kitchen cabinets from chocolate brown to white. This has presented me with multiple growth opportunities in patience and perseverance.)
So Predictable
In typical Jesus fashion, he didn’t agree with me. Instead he directed my thoughts to scripture. That’s so irritating. I mean, here I am dealing with the real world and he gets all spiritual on me! Anyway, he directs my thoughts to John 4 where he encounters the Samaritan woman at the well.
Allow me to paraphrase. Jesus and company are on their way home and have to stop in the sketchy part of the country that is occupied by those shady Samaritans. Racial tension is not unique to the 21st century. Anyway they arrive hot, tired and hungry – Jesus more than the others. He sits down by the local watering hole and sends his friends into town to get some takeout. As he waits, a Samaritan woman comes to the well to draw water in the heat of the day and Jesus asks for a drink.
I won’t go over everything that transpires between them (y’all need to read your Bibles) but after the encounter, the disciples urge Jesus to eat what they’ve brought him but he declines saying, “I have food you don’t know about.” They are stumped. Wasn’t he hungry before? Did Grubhub sneak in after they left?
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 4:34 NIV
That’s how Jesus responded to my protests this morning. Tired? Do my will and finish my work. And refreshing will fall upon you.
“You mean painting the kitchen wasn’t your idea?”
“As you paint …” He then began unfolding how to use the time to prepare, dream, conspire with him. He didn’t give me a free get out of jail – I mean kitchen – card but began revealing how to use the time to partner with his plans. How to embrace his purpose for this time.
As he revealed at the well in Samaria, there is a spiritual dynamic of energy that is released when we are doing what we were created to do. That doesn’t mean drop everything and move to some spiritual Mecca. It means you find his purpose in where he has you now and prepare for what he has coming.
How Do You Know?
How do you know what you were created for? I may have to do an ecourse on that … A good place to start would be to learn to share your faith with confidence. Check out my ecourse on the menu.
In case you missed it, my book “#God is STILL Good” is now available at Amazon.com as a paperback and ebook. Let me know what you think of it! People have told me it’s been life changing, healing and real “gold.”
Thanks for your faithfulness! Now I’m back to the ol’ paint bucket preparing for the next season of fulfilling his will for me.
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