Work Hard. Rest Harder. – Part II

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"One Thing Is Needed"

(Refer to previous post for Part I)

Jesus' answer to Martha brought revelation to my eyes:

“...And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:41

What was that one thing needed?

Rest.

  • When the Lord made the earth, he worked for six days and rested for one.
  • When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He was working in His ministry and spent time away to rest.
  • When the Lord sent His Holy Spirit to the earth, He came as a mighty wind and interestingly rested upon each of the disciples.

Some of Webster's definitions for Rest:

  1. A bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities
  2. Freedom from activity or labor
  3. A state of motionlessness or inactivity
  4. Peace of mind or spirit
  5. Something used for support

I leave you with this: There’s freedom that comes when you actively rest. You will experience supernatural peace when this happens. Then, there’s someone you can use for support when you rest: Jesus.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...” - Matthew 11:28-29

 

Work hard. Rest harder.

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In our culture today, I've noticed that we tend to see over and over again the importance of being busy, and resting should only be done if you get all other obligations done.

"It keeps you going," one might say. Or, "If I'm not busy, I'd be bored." And even, "God wants me busy...it means that I'm serving Him and love Him.”

I can say this, because it's phrases I have thought before.

Arizona Sunset - Roshau

Work vs. Busy

I’ve recently discovered a revelation, and even though I am still learning about this, I thought I’d share what I’ve experienced thus far: Busy vs. Working.

Some of Webster’s Definition of Busy:

1: Full of activity
2: Foolishly or intrusively active
3: Full of distracting detail

Some of Webster’s Definition of Work:

1: Activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something
2: Sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result
3: The labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood

I highlight these specific words to show a contrast:

Busyness leads to distractions, intrusiveness, and foolishness

Working leads to strengthening, overcoming, and achievement.

I searched the Word of God for the difference between work and busyness...and found this story of Martha, the woman who spent all of her time cleaning and doing chores while her sister sat and listened tot he teachings of Jesus. We tend to look at Martha and judge her for being pre-occupied with other tasks instead of spending time with Jesus. I mean, she was WITH HIM...wouldn’t you stop everything if you knew Jesus was in your home?

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." - Luke 10:40

Let me rephrase it this way that's a little more relatable:

“Christie was busy with much serving: music, teaching, work, competitions, cleaning the house, doing errands...and she approached Jesus during her 15-minute breaks (aka, driving from one event to the other) and said, “Lord, I am exhausted...don’t You care that everyone else is laughing and enjoying life while I’m serving You all alone? Tell everyone else that they are wrong in all their ‘non-doing,’ and have them come help me!”

 

To Be Continued...