A P.S. to the Last Post

A few more things really need to be said, regarding that last post.

What this doesn't mean.

It doesn't mean that you should never take a break, because if you're not down to "two pennies' worth of strength" you're not really loving Jesus. There have been more than a few times that I have known, in my conscience, that I would be disobeying a "still, small voice" if I tried to get a few more things done instead of taking a nap.

There are times when doing one more thing is an act of pride, and not an act of love. We are not limitless. We are not the Indispensable One. We are not God.

As His very limited creatures, we reach a place (at least every day, usually!) where we honor God's design by resting, taking a break, letting go of our desire to do all and be all.

There are times when it is not love to do something yourself, when you could share the burden with another. Maybe the sense of being overwhelmed and exhausted is actually an opportunity to teach your children the importance of "pitching in" for the needs of the family or explaining to your spouse an area where you feel over your head so that you can dream up a life-giving way to deal with it together. Maybe it is a season when you need the grace of the Body of Christ to come near, to be vulnerable enough to ask for help from outside of your own home. It is not easy to be at a place of weakness, but very real grace comes when we allow others to be hands and feet of God's love to us.

There are times when it is not good, not wise, not real love to spend yourself to the point of exhaustion over things that are not essential, when it's better to let the mountain of laundry sit for one more day and take those minutes to be still, refresh your heart, and find joy in remembering all that your limitless Savior is for you.

That widow worshiped Jesus by giving her last two pennies. Mary worshiped Jesus by sitting at His feet to listen (and it was Martha who was corrected for missing "the good part.").

Sometimes life gets reaches those swells of need that threaten to swamp the boat. During the storm, I hope that you will be buoyed in your hope by the knowledge that God receives your worship in giving your "last two cents' worth" of strength.

But for most of us, most of the time, we also worship Jesus through stepping back, sharing our load, quieting our heart, taking a break, and resting in the goodness of our great giving God.