Working, Resting, Waiting, Worshiping

Proverbs 12:11, 13-15

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
but the righteous escapes from trouble.
From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
² It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 62:1-2

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
² He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Hebrews 12:28-29

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Psalm 96:1-6

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
² Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
⁴ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

One day last week after finishing all of our school work, the kids were enjoying some free time playing and I found myself drawn to the refreshing task of yard work. I spent nearly two hours raking, cleaning, watering, organizing, thinking, and dreaming.

After an hour of raking, my heart went from a quiet sense of peace to a nearly audible grumbling. In a huffy way I heard my heart whine, "The children have been playing for hours and there are countless hours of yard work to be done. Surely they could come and help me and lighten the load! Really, the work can be enjoyable when we do it together!"

Oh, what a Martha I am! (see Luke 10:38-42)

***I had better stop right now and give a disclaimer: our six children are phenomenal, hard workers. They pitch in and help around the house and help one another joyfully. I had no reason to complain. But I did anyway. Silently.

Martha, Martha, Martha

I knew that my silent grumblings were not really a result of their free time choices, but a matter of my own heart's desires. During the next hour of raking, watering, and trimming I poured my heart out to God, pleading with Him to reach my children's hearts and to teach them good things. I found myself begging God to keep me silent in my groanings so that my whining heart would not cause sensitive hearts to turn away.

I prayed for our children to learn to work, since most of us are born with a desire for ease. And I prayed for them to learn to rest in Him, even in intensely demanding situations. It is hard for some people to learn to rest. This I know from experience. I prayed for them to learn to wait without worry, fear, resentment, or regret. Waiting poorly can consume a person. Waiting well can bring an abundance of opportunities for growth. I prayed for them to learn to worship God in all things: working, resting, or waiting.

As I prayed for them my frustration melted away and I realized that my frustration over our kids not jumping up from their novel or abandoning their bikes and toys was not actually due to the work load facing me in yard work, house work, or homeschooling work. My frustration was due to what I perceived as a lack of affection...for me! I wanted my children to desire working alongside of me so that they could enjoy our relationship. I was wounded that none of them showed interest in helping me because I absolutely love helping them. My focus was self, self, self.

It is easy to allow oneself to be wounded when no one is intending harm. Once I realized this I took a step back and watched them interact through the living room windows and by peeking at them around the side of the house. I observed them loving one another, finding joy in family together, helping one another, and enjoying resting with one another.

Humbled, I thanked God for what He was teaching each of these children about working, resting, waiting and worshiping. And I thanked Him for revealing to my heart (again!) that this is not really about me. Joyfully I returned to my yard work until I was drawn in to make supper for a noisy, joyful, loving and affectionate family. What grace God has given me, to bless me with these children, this family, when I so often misinterpret or just miss altogether God's good work in their lives.