When Church Is the Cause of Your Hustle
Last week I was feeling irritable. I was busy. I had a lot of things to do and places to be and I didn’t like it. My soul wanted to rest. You know that feeling? When you realize you crammed a few too many things onto your calendar for the week and you feel the pull? The pull between being committed to things and not wanting to do them at all?
I don’t have scientific evidence to support this, but I would hypothesize that church people tend to feel this more than non-church people because church people tend to pack their calendars stupid full.
I am church people. I do church, and I do it well. This happens when you’re a preacher’s kid and when you generally like church and always have. That’s me. I like church. I like being involved. I like church activities and church people and I’m so thankful for that because I know that’s often not the case for those raised in the church.
But lately, I’ve sense I may be a bit over-involved in the church department. For the past few weeks, the majority of my calendar has been consumed with church-related activities or events. I’m involved in the youth group at my church, I’m part of a new church plant my church is starting in the city of Nashville, and I’m going on a mission trip with the church this summer to Peru. All good things. All wonderful things, really. But lately all my church things have not left me feeling very…Christian.
Instead, I have felt busy, and sort of tired.
I feel like I’m hustling.
And now I’m wondering: If all of my church involvement is not allowing for a Sabbath day or a Sabbath week, am I really being Christ-like? If most of my nights are consumed with spending time at church and with church people, am I really being Christ to others in my community? Could church be the culprit for my hustling these days? Could it be the culprit for my faint evangelistic heart these days?
I am beginning to believe that being less involved in church could be better for me spiritually. I wouldn’t resent my calendar so much. I would be more rested. I would be “in the world” a little more. Out there, God can be so much more real. In my rest, God can be so much more audible.
A part of me believes I could serve better if I did church less.
Wouldn’t it be cool if you opened your church bulletin this Sunday, and instead of seeing the typical “Volunteers Needed” and “Events Coming Up This Week,” there was just this one statement, “Hey church, nothing’s going on this week. Get some rest. Spend time with your people. Spend time with God” ?
Oh, that would be so good for me. It might be so good for you too.
Andrea, I have been loving your guest posts on She Reads Truth and this right here – yes, yes, yes! It reminds me of this quote. His book is phenomenal.
“Spiritual growth is not running faster, as in more meetings, more Bible studies, and more prayer meetings. Spiritual growth happens when we slow our activity down. If we want to meet Jesus, we can’t do it on the run. If we want to stay on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area, and stop. Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us; it’s about noticing Jesus sitting at the rest stop. While the church earnestly warns Christians to watch for the devil, the devil is sitting in the congregation encouraging everyone to keep busy doing “good” things.
Mike Yaconelli
So right! I’ve been wanting to hide for about 2 weeks now. Just “be still, and know that I am God” hide kind of hide.
Churches became country clubs and many activities are useless and just entertainment. The Bible says , go, make disciples, cast out Demons, etc… We added many other things and made church a business.
Philip made many miracles, demons were cast out and many paralytics were healed.
Our church presentations and activities are not casting out demons or healing paralytics. They are pure shows made to entertain people. They worship the god of marketing.
La explotación de crecimiento, gozo, avivamiento, etc. Se da afuera de las cuatro paredes de un templo y sus instalaciones. El poder del Espíritu Santo opera de maneras admirable estando con la gente no cristiana, con los que necesitan un Médico para sus almas. – Lucas 4:17-19
Thanks, Andrea. So often it seems we equate spirituality with activity. There is a reason our Creator instructs us, “BE STILL and know that I am God.”
Gosto de pensar nos pássaros…. são os primeiros a acordar e o fazem CAN TAN DO! E são os primeiros a se recolherem para os ninhos, as árvores….mal os raios de sol se escondem!
Ah! E o Criador não cuida desses lindos pássaros com roupagens maravilhosas, comida e água?