Our house is full – as well as two young children, we currently have three young adults living in community with us, and regularly have neighbours and people we are discipling popping in (or lingering!), as well as many ministry and social activities happening.
At times it is crazy. At times we definitely need God’s grace and perspective to not become overwhelmed!
One of the values high in my life and our community here is to work from rest and not live continually resting from work. We try to have lives that are balanced and effective, recognizing that it is from a place of rest we are fruitful. (John 15)
Jesus set a pattern of rest and personal boundaries, but he was also surprising in his compassion towards people in times when we would have expected him to withdraw completely.
John the Baptist had just been beheaded, and after the news reached Jesus he went sailing alone. (See Matthew 14) I imagine he needed time to get his head around the news, to cry perhaps or offer up one of those ‘I trust you, Father, even though I don’t fully understand right now’ prayers.
Arriving on the shore, instead of withdrawing to his home to complete a time of mourning and readjustment, he sees the people there and his heart goes out to them – he begins to minister to them.
That is often how I feel – I feel like I have nothing to minister out of – I am tired, overwhelmed, need more than an hour or two of personal space (I am an introvert after all!). Yet, when someone who is spiritually or physically hungry appears on the doorstep, I have to call on God’s grace, trust that He will sustain me and even do miraculous things. And amazingly faithfully, he does. Every time.
‘I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being’ – Ephesians 3:16
