Thursday, August 20, 2015

Weary of Working So Hard

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV)

Years ago, one tradition we had at the campus ministry which I directed was making homemade ice cream for students during the first week of classes.  While several of those who donated ice cream used electric freezers, I used my trusty White Mountain hand-crank freezer.  In the Kansas heat and humidity, it was quite a workout but I enjoyed it. Rather than sitting idly by waiting for the freezer to do its work, I was making it happen!

That freezer moved with me to the mountains of North Carolina 11 years ago and sat on a shelf until this summer, when I decided to pull it down and start cranking it again.  Ah, the memories rekindled!  It was like old times, except the work was harder.  And then, I brought up the idea of doing at the start of this school year what I had done so many times in the past—make ice cream for the students. The memories of yesteryear were propelling forward this idea.  What I didn’t know was I would end up responsible for making two batches.  A friend had offered to help out by making a gallon, but, at the last minute, couldn’t do it.  I didn’t mind that much because I thought I could still crank out two batches—until I started cranking that first batch.

From the get-go, I had to force the crank.  Every turn was difficult. Within 10 minutes, I was soaked in sweat.  As I sat there cranking, I came to the realization that this really wasn’t as fun as I had remembered it.  I thought about how much easier it would be just to have an electric freezer.  The ice cream would taste the same and I wouldn’t find myself exhausted in the process.  At that moment, I realized how weary I was of working so hard for something that could be accomplished with much less effort.  

It was pride that was at the heart of this.  I felt accomplished with my old-fashioned, hand-crank ice cream freezer.  And it brought back great memories.  That is the danger of what the Scriptures refer to as “works.” They make us proud and we can easily become attached to them.  The elderly woman is proud of the fact she hasn’t missed a Sunday church service in 70 years.  The middle-aged man is proud of all the volunteer work he has done for his church and community.  The student is proud of his accomplishments as a church youth leader.  

And you might be asking, what’s wrong with this?  Shouldn’t people take pride in their achievements?  It depends.  If they are doing what Paul commands in Colossians 3:17, then, sure, it can be a good thing. But if they are doing it from the motivation of showing how good they are or proving to God how upright they are, then it is a very bad thing.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” says Romans 3:23. This is a fact that many have a hard time accepting and, thus, will spend their lives trying to disprove.  They will work hard, and then harder.  They may accomplish much, but it won’t be enough.  They may even enjoy the work for awhile, but at some point it will grow wearying. And then they have a choice.  They can keep plowing ahead or they can accept there is a much better, easier way.  They can acknowledge the impossibility of their works making them good and instead recognize and receive the gift of grace God offers them through Jesus.  This is what the Hebrew writer is telling his audience.  The Israelites were left to die in the desert because they thought they didn’t need God.  They thought they were good enough on their own.  

Making the second batch was a little less difficult, but I’ve decided to put that old freezer back on the shelf and replace it with an electric model.  I realize I don’t have to do all that work and yet I can still get the same result.  

Today, if you are tired of working to be good or to be seen as good, then know God is ready to give you some much needed rest. In fact, He is saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)  In other words, you can stop the cranking and let Him do the work.

© Jim Musser 2015

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