As I sit here once again doing very little (watching some football, surfing the Internet, etc.), I can't believe how easy it is to get into the habit of doing nothing. I also can't believe how disgusting it feels. It feels like I an addiction.
During normal busy times I like to take a Sunday afternoon and relax a little....take advantage of a couple hours with nothing planned. I've even found myself wishing for times like this. But because my kids have taken turns with a nasty virus, there's been way too much idle time for me. At first I welcomed the opportunity to watch some movies with my kids. Play some video games together. I thought that some extra time to just be together would be great. And it has been. But what I'm noticing after several consecutive days of laziness is that in spite of the physical rebellion my body has waged against me, my mind now is addicted to this state of suspended animation. My body is sore from inactivity....it's crying out for some, any activity. This must be what atrophy feels like. I sit and I say to myself "I've got to get up and do something" but my mind just won't make it happen.
This has to be what happens when we sit idly on our faith. Apathy starts to set in. We care less about how (or if) others see God in our lives. The longer we fail to exercise our faith, the more likely it is to start to decay. Just like when you sit way too long doing nothing and your legs get sore, your faith can do the same thing. It gets stiff, tight, uncomfortable. If you're up and moving regularly to stay loose.....to stay ready.....your mind and body respond when you need them. If you stretch your faith, feed your soul and your spirit with Godly things regularly, they're ready for action when you need them. Have you ever noticed that if you do nothing for a long time, you start getting sleepy, tired, achy, even though you've done nothing? When your soul gets sleepy from inactivity, sin slips in.
Have you also noticed that when you get exercise regularly you feel more rested after a short break?
Make no mistake....it's not easy. It's a real battle to stay in it physically, mentally, and especially spiritually. It's really hard to resist the temptation to "reward" ourselves with some extra down time. That's not God that makes it that hard....that's the evil one. The devil loves nothing more than to see our passions sucked out of us by......nothing.
While I know that Sabbath is very important, and that it's a very good thing to spend time with our families without an agenda dictating our schedules, I also think that it's necessary to stay engaged, to stay connected during those times.
It's back to work for me tomorrow, so I'll get back on somewhat of a schedule. But it's another short work week. There's another long weekend coming. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm already a little concerned about that. My prayer for myself and for everyone else this week will be that we stay engaged during our down times.
I'd like to wish everyone a blessed 2009, and I hope that together we can keep the path clear to God's door in the months to come. If God is new to you and you're not sure about who Jesus Christ is or how he fits in your life, please find your way to church, or at least to the Bible. God's word is for everyone, and you might be surprised at how fitting The Word can be to whatever you're dealing with right now.
If you pray, I ask that you pray for someone that you've never prayed for before, or for someone that you're at odds with right now. It's surprising how hard it is to be mad at someone you're praying for!
Most of all, stay engaged.....feed your faith.....stretch your spirituality a little. You won't be disappointed with the results.
-Mike
