Read Luke 6:27-36
In this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples and a crowd of people who were following Him. He tells them--and us--some pretty intense things. He instructs us to love our enemies, to do good to them, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us. We are told that if someone strikes us on one side of the face, we should turn the other to them, and if someone takes our coat, we should give them our shirt (or at least that is what it would be in today's fashion). He says to give to everyone who asks and to give without expecting anything in return. We are admonished that to treat people the way we want to be treated. He goes on to say that it is a simple thing to love those who love us back and to give to those who repay us, but that is not what He calls us to. We are to give, love, and lend not expecting anything in return just as God the Father is merciful to the ungrateful and evil. He concludes this section by telling us to be merciful just as God is merciful.
Here we see the complete opposite of the societal rule of "look out for number one," at least where "number one" is oneself. I particularly see this insidious little lie at work in my role as a wife and mother. There is so much clamor for the woman to have some "me time," to pursue hobbies or a career so that she feels fulfilled, and yet I see so few women who actually seem to feel fulfilled today. The pressure of a woman to be more than a wife and mother is intense, and frankly so is the pressure to think of herself first to the detriment of others. It does sound good and even reasonable. However, it positively flies in the face of the words of Jesus in this passage.
Now I am by no means knocking some good, old-fashioned alone time. In the last two passages, Jesus Himself sought some alone time. It is not the taking of the time that I object to; it is more about what you do with it. I have even heard the passage about Jesus going away to a solitary place to pray as a justification of "me time." This is true, I suppose, if your version of "me time" is more like "God and me time." Jesus did not go off to play games or read a book. He went off to spend some time seeking God in prayer and communing with His Father. That is precisely the kind of alone time that I need--the kind that draws me closer to the Father and enables me to understand what His will is--and to do it. This is not to say we should never indulge in recreation, but that recreation should not be our goal. Honoring God should be at the forefront of our minds in all times, both busy and leisurely. As Paul exhorts in his letter to the Ephesians, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." So then, my thoughts should not properly be directed at what pleases me, but at what pleases God. Then, and only in Him, will I find fulfillment.
I must say that I find this passage extremely challenging and more than a little convicting. It was not long ago that God dealt with me on the very topic of giving without expecting anything in return. I had allowed myself to become a little bitter towards certain folks who were more willing to take than to give. I had given enough that I had begun to feel a little used and more than a little resentful. It was this same passage that God brought my attention to, for He reminded me that I am not called to give so that I may receive in kind, but to give because He has given. It is for His glory and not my own, and by these words I was humbled.
More recently, I have been challenged by this. There have been a tremendous amount of needs around me lately, and just this past weekend I was feeling rather overwhelmed with them all. I have said in the past that if I am used up to the uttermost in service to my God, it will not be too much. That has most certainly been tried in the past few weeks. During this time, I have had several small service projects and much to do in my own family plus a rather unpleasant number of headaches and migraines. It has been a heavy load to bear and I have found myself challenged far beyond what I am personally capable of doing. I have been challenged both in my home and outside it, both by the needs of my family and the needs of others. It is almost ironic that much of these things have occurred at the very time our small group was studying this passage--ironic, that is, if I did not know that my God had a purpose in it.
So through this time of trying to meet needs and help others even through my own pain, I found that God is reminding me that I am not to help in hopes of being helped someday in return, but merely to help because help is needed--out of my love and gratitude for Him. It is an act of trust, really. I have had to choose to trust Him to meet my needs when I feel overextended. In my small acts of service, I can sense Him asking, "Do you trust Me? Do you believe that whatever you give willingly in My name will not go unnoticed by Me, even if it is completely disregarded by mankind? Is the motive of your heart pure, and do you give without the expectation of return?" He has convicted me when I did harbor some hope of receiving, and once again I am humbled. I am reminded that it is never too much. I can never give more than He has already given me.
I can, however, believe Him because He is faithful and He will never, ever call me to do something that He will not be glorified in. He will call me to extend myself more and more in my service, to give my little so that His magnificent power can make it much. And you know what? Despite my weakness and my occasional unwillingness, He has never let me fall, not once. Oh, I have stumbled and have had to repent about my attitude. I have had to ask Him for the grace to be a truly humble servant when my heart was feeling sullen and selfish. But He has never failed to bless my repentance, grant the grace I need, and often even turns my service into an unexpectedly joyful event. There is truly nothing too much for this great God to ask, and it is my honest joy to serve Him. He is so good, so merciful to such a weak believer as me!
Now I am by no means knocking some good, old-fashioned alone time. In the last two passages, Jesus Himself sought some alone time. It is not the taking of the time that I object to; it is more about what you do with it. I have even heard the passage about Jesus going away to a solitary place to pray as a justification of "me time." This is true, I suppose, if your version of "me time" is more like "God and me time." Jesus did not go off to play games or read a book. He went off to spend some time seeking God in prayer and communing with His Father. That is precisely the kind of alone time that I need--the kind that draws me closer to the Father and enables me to understand what His will is--and to do it. This is not to say we should never indulge in recreation, but that recreation should not be our goal. Honoring God should be at the forefront of our minds in all times, both busy and leisurely. As Paul exhorts in his letter to the Ephesians, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." So then, my thoughts should not properly be directed at what pleases me, but at what pleases God. Then, and only in Him, will I find fulfillment.
I must say that I find this passage extremely challenging and more than a little convicting. It was not long ago that God dealt with me on the very topic of giving without expecting anything in return. I had allowed myself to become a little bitter towards certain folks who were more willing to take than to give. I had given enough that I had begun to feel a little used and more than a little resentful. It was this same passage that God brought my attention to, for He reminded me that I am not called to give so that I may receive in kind, but to give because He has given. It is for His glory and not my own, and by these words I was humbled.
More recently, I have been challenged by this. There have been a tremendous amount of needs around me lately, and just this past weekend I was feeling rather overwhelmed with them all. I have said in the past that if I am used up to the uttermost in service to my God, it will not be too much. That has most certainly been tried in the past few weeks. During this time, I have had several small service projects and much to do in my own family plus a rather unpleasant number of headaches and migraines. It has been a heavy load to bear and I have found myself challenged far beyond what I am personally capable of doing. I have been challenged both in my home and outside it, both by the needs of my family and the needs of others. It is almost ironic that much of these things have occurred at the very time our small group was studying this passage--ironic, that is, if I did not know that my God had a purpose in it.
So through this time of trying to meet needs and help others even through my own pain, I found that God is reminding me that I am not to help in hopes of being helped someday in return, but merely to help because help is needed--out of my love and gratitude for Him. It is an act of trust, really. I have had to choose to trust Him to meet my needs when I feel overextended. In my small acts of service, I can sense Him asking, "Do you trust Me? Do you believe that whatever you give willingly in My name will not go unnoticed by Me, even if it is completely disregarded by mankind? Is the motive of your heart pure, and do you give without the expectation of return?" He has convicted me when I did harbor some hope of receiving, and once again I am humbled. I am reminded that it is never too much. I can never give more than He has already given me.
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