why do we do what we do? it seems to me that we stretched ourselves so thin, added too many appointments in our day, and altered our diet and sleeping patterns so that we end up exhausted, confused, and behind. functioning as the lead pastor of a local community has informed me i am failing at this - as if i thought, it would solved by taking this job. it's not that i'm falling apart each night and dragging myself around until i slump over a couch, no, it's more that fatigue (along with this heat and humidity) have taken its toll. in the evenings when i am "home" and away from work, i find my mind wandering, debating, and searching for solutions to problems in the community.
i find myself coming back to a sermon i preached in february re: sabbath rest. i noted that refusing to rest means that you do not trust that the Lord knows what He is doing nor do you trust that He is protecting you. when the psalmist wrote, "unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vein who build it. unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vein" (127), he recognizes the infinite movement of the Lord and the finite fragility of humankind. thus, i am being reminded that Yahweh is building His kingdom and guarding His city and i don't need to carry that burden.
