But now you're frustrated. Your spiritual life seems to be stuck in neutral gear, your haven't opened your Bible in a while and prayer seems to be something said just to get it over and done with. What do you do?
Nothing. That's what
When I gave this advice to a friend of mine, I bet he thought I was the anti-Christ (Sinner! You want to stumble me!!! ) Surely I should have been exhorting him to pray more, sing harder, read more books, get more involved in church. Was I being a stumbling block?
No, I was trying to be a friend
Take it from someone who has been burntout and injured from sports in the past - the same thing can happen to your spiritual life. The only difference is whether you want to admit it or deny it. Many Christians refuse to confess that they are burnt out or have hit a plateau - they rather say that they are a little "tired" or just need to have more "faith".They see it as weakness if they have to admit otherwise
In sports, this overtraining and non-recognition that you have hit a plateau can have devastating and debilitating consequences. Lets say I am already tired, a little injured, weary and frustrated that I can't progress in my training. I urge myself on, pushing on, berating myself for being weak, shouting "ganbattei" all the way...until something snaps. Like an achilles tendon or a bone
And then suddenly, I am out for two years. Bitterness and woe sets in. Why? Not because I wasn't strong, it's because I wasn't smart. I was egoistical, thinking that I was invincible and super tough, only to find out that I was just a lump of clay. Broken clay now. It's all pride
It is much the same with our spritual growth. We sometimes hit a plateau. It's natural and is because we are flesh and blood. Push the rubber band that is your body, mind and spirit beyond the breaking point and be prepared to suffer the consequences
We live in a world that prizes fast paced spiritual growth, action and doing rather than being. Ironicaly, all this serves to place more faith in one's own ability rather than God. In other words, it's what the devil wants. All we want to do is "kar yow" (add oil) when you drive but do you know where you're going?
The most interesting thing about this is that when an injury occurs, it's usually not because it happened there and then. Usually, it was slowly occuring over a period of time, sort of like a small crack in a dam finally leading to it's collapse.
On the positive side, a time of rest where you go about living a Godly life (without being overtly Christian - I will write more about this one day) might be the tonic needed to heal you. It's much the same way that cross training prevents injuries by working other muscles that strenghthen the ones you use all the time. God is building you up behind the scenes, quietly.
You just don't see it but he is there. That is the essence of faith
6 comments:
i like the part where you said God is building us up behind the scene, quietly. I totally agree =)
hope you are doing great =)
ello! nice post. :P
but won't 'not doing anything' breed idleness?
I like that, hahah. Ian has a point though...so if I may venture an opinion? Faith is a noun, not a verb. Having faith looks as much within as without. In fact, could one go so far as to say that genuine faith cannot exist without BOTH?
But anyway, to use an analogy about idleness, I think its like an athlete that's been running the race for some time now. There's a buildup of lactic acid in his muscles, and its accumulated to the point where it's starting to hurt. Taking a rest now is simply allowing the body to convert the lactic acid back into it's proper form: glucose. Now consider a person who's been walking along at a stately pace. Taking a rest for him only means that his body is going to convert all that glucose into the glycogen of idleness.
So basically, whether or not idleness will spring from doing nothing depends, at least in part, on how active you've been in the past?
Or so I choose to think.
lol. nice analogy. :P
ah...so if you are more active in the past, you are less likely to go into idleness?
but that tired athlete could be tempted to continue resting and not continue the run. in this case, has he not become idle? he doesn't continue the race even after sufficient rest.
dunno if i conveyed it clearly or not so...yeah...:P
Hi Jiunnli, I'm good and God is great :-)
Ian, it's a fair point. Maybe I should elaborate. When an athelete takes a rest, he can (1) Take a holiday and completely forget he's a runner for a while (maybe hit an island and scuba dive or something) or (2) He can read about running, and maybe lift weights to give his lower body a break
In both cases, those parts which are overburdened and exhausted - the legs - get a good rest. And by reading, he gets a wholistic approach, he might improve his running technique. Or by even taking a break, his mind reorganises itself and gives him a different perspective on running, which can lead to further improvement
Sometimes when I take break from martial arts, I do both and not only do I come back refreshed and energised, there is a new focus and insight as on occasion, I've had time to think about what I am doing.
But at no time have I ever decided not to go back to the martial arts. Ah, you see? That's the difference between someone who wants to stop running for a while for a purpose and someone who wants to get off the treadmill permanently
Nick, can you elaborate on the part where you say "Having faith looks as much within as without"? That's pretty deep, my man! lol.
I see faith both as a noun and verb. In the initial phase, we are justified by faith in Christ through the regenerative prompting of the Holy Spirit. In other words, God calls us, we can't move unless his spirit moves us. That's when faith is a noun
The verb phase describes the process of sanctification after that. Where action is a visible indicator of faithfulness. The faith process so to speak. Is that kinda what you meant?
Great questions, guys! Never been made to think so much for a while :-)
Hi Ian. Not necessarily. There are numerous examples of super atheletes in the past that are now overweight, out of shape and have plain given up
The analogy works on a simplistic level but I am looking at it from a wholistic one.
One has to be open to directional changes, and a rest as described could either make you stronger or move you into a different, still God honouring direction
Lets say that athelete decides that after that break, he really didn't want to run. But he prefers coaching, or organising race meets. He's still part of the game, still contributing to the overall picture
So the important thing in a Christian race is to know where God wants you to go, run it, take breaks when you are supposed to, and be aware if and when he needs you to run a different route. That could involve changing direction
Someone could be a missionary for years but for whatever reason, God tells him to go and serve in the local church instead. Or teach for example.
If he still wants to be a missionary inspite of a clear leading..well, I would say it's for pride and his ego he's doing this, not God
We can have the appearance of being busy and active for God without the connection that should come with it. In other words, running out of neurosis, fear, guilt, anxiety, etc
Not healthy in my opinion
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