Progress and Recess

27Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. 28"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11 from The Message Translation)

It doesn't take long for my schedule to fill up. Occasionally I'll actually say no to something or give up the responsibility for something else, but I usually fill it with something else, some task, some job, some class. My life is filled with a lot of doing but not that much growing. I've bought into the lie that doing a lot is progress. Jesus' way is different. All the things the Father gave His Son to do and say came out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. Real fruitfulness is birthed in the same place as real rest--intimacy. Living with the Father and the Son is living freely and lightly. If I'm tired and worn out and burned out (and I am), it's because I'm not living in intimacy. It's because I've believed the pride of progress--that the more I do, the more important I am. My religion has been making good grades in seminary classes, as if Greek tests are tests of knowing God. They're not. I can make 99's on my midterms and ignore the voice of God. I've somehow convinced myself that I can please God by my hard work. We live in a culture that prizes independence. We even have a document that declares it. But God is not pleased with my independence. He wants to hear my Declaration of Dependence. He wants to go over His way line by line. He wants me to walk with Him and work with Him.
In the kingdom slowing down is better than speeding up. Listening is more important than doing. Recess is better than progress. The way of Jesus is the way of a son.