We can find all kinds of examples in Scripture that speak of the reward of hard work and planning. The ant is often the poster boy of the acceptable attitude. Along with Scripture there are many fables and moral-teaching children stories that speak to the virtue of working hard in the good times so that we have what we need in the hard times.
But then there is Jesus.
Remember the parable of the farmer who had such a blessed year that he had twice as much of what he needed. It seemed wise that he would build a second barn to store it because, well, you never know. But Jesus did not find this to be wise.
Jesus said the farmer was wrong because his life was about to end so what purpose was there in the effort of building the second barn? It seems to fly in the face of what we are taught. Ward work is never a waste of time. But Jesus has a different perspective.
This is the man who was constantly turning cultural tradition on its ear. Do you remember when he was over at Mary and Martha's for a meal? The place of the women was in the kitchen, preparing the meal for the guest of honour. The place of the men was to sit with the guest. Hard work was expected of the women. But Mary chose differently.
Mary chose to sit at Jesus feet to listen to the lessons. She abandoned her sister to the hard work while she stayed with Jesus. When Martha asked Jesus to correct Mary he refused. Instead he told Martha that Mary had made the better choice. To understand this we need to consider another encounter Jesus had with a woman.
While Jesus was a guest at another home a woman came in and covered him in an expensive perfume. This woman was criticized by the disciples because they said this was a waste, that the money could have been used to help the poor. Jesus told them to leave the woman alone and that what she had done would be spoken of until the end of time. He told them that they would always have the poor among them but they would not always have him.
Jesus taught about seasons. We need to be paying attention to seasons. Mary chose correctly because this was the season of instruction and it would not last. The woman with the perfume chose to honour Jesus before his death. It was prophetic because there would be no time to anoint his body after death. There is nothing wrong with hard work and it is a great virtue, unless it interferes with the season that we are in. My daughter Mia reminded me of this last night.
I have been working hard to fix our pool so that my children can enjoy the summer. We have had lots of problems with it and it is taking a lot of time. Last night, as I was putting the children to bed, my daughter reminded me about seasons.
"Daddy, tomorrow will we have time to play?"
"I don't know."
"I like it when you play with us."
"You do?"
"Yes. Do you like playing with me?"
"Of course I do. We'll find the time to play tomorrow."
"Good. I love you daddy."
A child grows up very quickly. The season of them wanting to play with their daddy only lasts for a short time. Working hard on a pool for a child can look very much like an extra barn if I forget the moment I am in. I need to enjoy each moment, finding the time to enjoy where the child is today and not let the plans of tomorrow rob us (her and me) of this moment.
It can be difficult because it often means going against what we have been trained to do in our society. But the Kingdom of God is based on other principles that highlight what is important in the Kingdom:people. When a child asks you to go for a walk, ride your bike, play dress up, have a tea party, please, drop whatever you are doing and live fully in that moment. All too soon that moment is gone and the season is over.
No comments:
Post a Comment