“Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest.” ~ Jesus

What a great invitation… for those who have the time.  Lets be honest, I have 5 kids.  I own a house in the suburbs and work 2 jobs to keep it so my wife can stay home with the kids.  The lawn needs to be mowed.  The leaves are falling and need to be cleared.  The gutters are filled with leaves and need to be cleared out.  The garage needs to be cleaned out.  My son’s bike needs to be fixed. The list goes on (and my wife would love to add to it, I’m sure).  I spend several hours a week doing good things for other people to make their lives better.  And as I ponder my growing list, it becomes painfully obvious that there never seems to be enough time to get all the stuff done that comes with doing life in the 21^st century.

Besides, I’m a doer.  If there’s one thing my parents got through to me was the importance of being productive- to make your life count- even if by the sheer number of things you get accomplished in the time you are given.  I have found myself busy lately doing lots of things for God, and have found there to be little time left for God.  It seems odd that there would seem to be a lack of time to actually rest in the presence of God- to grow my friendship with Him- to quiet my heart and still my restless mind, and to allow Him to take up my worries for me.

It is striking how out of balance my life seems at times.  I’m not the person I think I should be, and that just drives me to do more.  And then I hear the voice of Jesus calling his very first students in the midst of their busyness to rest with him.  This call is not something new.  This is something that I have heard before.  I’ve spent time studying it- pondering it- contemplating it.  And then the busyness returns and I am left to the mercy of my schedule of good things.  And once again his invitation fades into the background, well below the noise of other “important” things that demand my attention.

I recently returned from a spiritual retreat.  Yes, once again my schedule got the best of me and I was forced to retreat and recover the voice of God in the stillness.  And as I contemplated on the story of Adam and Eve, it struck me.  God had created this amazing paradise- a garden- for the first family to live in and enjoy.  But the real kicker was that the presence of God would enter the garden in the cool of the evening and walk with Adam and Eve.  I can’t even comprehend what that must have been like.  But this is the picture of the creation the way God originally set it up to be.  I noticed that God never asked Adam or Eve to do great things.  He simply asked them to tend the garden and be available for their daily walk together.  His presence with them was the climax of their day.

As I contemplated this it hit me, God is more interested in our being present with Him than what we ‘do for Him’. This may come as a surprise to many, because somewhere along the line, many of us have confused doing great things for God, for a relationship with Him.  And when we choose that busyness over relationship, our neighbors and friends are not likely to see that inner relationship shining through our busyness.  And then we look just like everybody else.

In the end, our mission must be to allow the presence of God to take center stage in our lives and homes so that others will be drawn to Christ through us.  It is not as much what we say or do, but Christ living in residence within us that is the hope for the world.  So may we be ever returning to the start and accept what God has for us in the here and now of our lives, and leave the busyness for another time.

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