Life tells us we need to move faster and faster to keep up with our responsibilities. Before I joined the seminary, I used to work for a software company, running an online program for businesses to use. I remember when I worked in IT, issues would pop up over and over, and my coworkers and I would rush to solve this support ticket or that phone call, hoping to keep up with the tide with questions and requests coming. Then at one point, something rare happened: our whole computers server crashed and everyone’s site went down. A server problem was out of our hands, it had to be dealt with by a team that worked physically with the servers halfway across the world.
Now, our work had not gone away, in fact, this was a whole new problem. But after we had reported it, we could only wait for the servers to be repaired and for our work to resume. However, that feeling that it was now out of our hands, that we could do only what we could, gave us a kind of mental reset that we needed.
I feel like this weight comes up in spiritual life too. As a deacon, there’s all sorts of ministry that demand attention, and when the schedule gets packed, it can feel like I’m white-knuckling my own prayers too, just trying to get them done before the next thing on the calendar shows up for me to deal with. Until at one point, when a surprise setback had shown up in my week, I had to pause and reassess what I could work on at that moment. It was this moment that let me stop and remember: I’m doing all this as a servant of the Lord.
The work still had to be done, but when I resumed working, the weight of the demands now felt lighter. I’m placing this work now in God’s hands, not my own. I did my best with the demands of the week, and I made it through. I find that acknowledging my own helplessness before the Lord, and letting Him work with me in all I do, is something I have to learn over and over. Even when it feels like we are doing good or important things, making the conscious choice to invite the Lord into that task keeps us from making it something isolated and quietly draining.
I’d like to challenge myself, and invite you to try it with me. This week, make the conscious choice to invite the Lord into a new task or activity with a quick personal prayer. It can be something serious, or even if it’s not, let Him join you in it. Maybe even before a game in the World Cup, not just so that your team will win, but that it brings you a bit of joy and friendship with Him and those with you, things the Lord wants you to have!
I would love to hear from you if you have any experiences with this in the past, or if you join me in this challenge this week.
In Christ,
Deacon Chrystian Bis