Work and Play Balance

We’re quite a few weeks away from the long and lazy days of summer.  These fall days and weeks usually hold “lots to do” for most of us. 

I’ve been thinking about the work/play balance; the work that best uses resources of body, mind, and soul; the recreation that is truly restful and restorative.  I think we all wonder about these things and in various seasons of life shift activities and focus based on our conclusions.

Jesus makes the fundamental principle in this conversation very simple and very clear for us. 

The work of God is this:  to believe in the one he has sent. 

John 6:29

There weren’t a lot of modern day translations available 50 years ago – the Amplified Bible was something that was helpful to many of us because it put meanings of words into the verses to help us understand what was being said. 

In this short verse it amplifies the word “believe” to mean “adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith in.”

So, as I think about and prioritize my activities both for this day and for the longer term the question I need to ask myself is, “How does this help me adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith” in God?  And, how does what I do help to clarify that for others? 

The first question has to be the first question because there will be no clarity to offer others if God is not speaking to us and showing us what is needed in any particular conversation and situation. 

Lord Jesus, we want to really hear what You are saying today and reshape all that we plan, think, say, and do in such a way that all through the day we are living out faith in Your goodness and giving You a chance to demonstrate how much you can do when we make space for You.

We remember what You were able to do with the little “5 loaves and 2 fish” lunch a little boy gave to you.  Who would have thought You could feed more than 5000 hungry people with food left over?  And yet that’s exactly what you did. 

We see desperate needs in our lives, the lives of our family members and friends, and across our communities and country, and we pray to organize our thoughts and activities to be a “5 loaves and 2 fish” kind of person who sticks with You, listens for Your directions, and offers all the bits and pieces we have to You, even though they seem pretty inadequate. You can make something from it all that is infinitely better than anything we could have put together on our own. 

With the father of the sick boy who asked You to heal His son.  When You said that You would, if he would believe, he said, “Lord I believe.  Help my unbelief.”  That’s how we feel today and how we offer all we are in this day to You.  Amen

It's worth taking a moment to reflect on this day, how we lived it, or if it’s earlier in the day to reflect on how we might balance work and play today.

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