productivity

Idle Hands

/ JJS / 1 Comment

good-works

Today’s readings:
Psalms 43; 149, Deuteronomy 7:17-26, Titus 3:1-15, John 1:43-51

In his letter to his associate and friend Titus, Paul asks him to instruct the church in Crete on proper behavior for the faithful. He wants them to be obedient, courteous, and gentle, and wants them to avoid quarrels, gossip, and division. Regarding unbelievers – each of them a possible convert of course – he wants the faithful to be patient, “[f]or we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.”

See what he did there?

Paul was anything but naïve. He knew professing faith in Christ did not immediately transform a person into a saint. If it did, he wouldn’t have had to send instructions from afar. He was experienced enough to know his flock needed constant tending. By first appealing to the church’s better nature and describing the lives he hoped they would lead, he let them know he had faith in their potential. Though he attributed the less desirable behaviors to unbelievers, it was a subtle reminder to the church that they were not so different as they might like to pretend.

Throughout the letter, Paul suggests the “people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.” The doing of good works is a benefit not just to the recipient of the work, but also to the giver. Our actions influence our attitudes, and one way to cultivate a spirit of charity is to act charitably. Even when our spirit resists – maybe especially then! – acting in ways that demonstrate a love for God and his creation will help nourish those feelings within us.

Proverbs 16:27 says: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” To be our best selves, we need to be intentional about how we spend our time. If we don’t fill our days with what is meaningful, we leave the gate open for the meaningless or harmful to creep in and take root. Being productive in the way Paul suggests helps grow God’s kingdom both within us and without.

Comfort: Faith is a journey. Learn from today and be better tomorrow.

Challenge: Do an informal time study of your week. Is your time going where you think it should?

Prayer: Gracious God, teach me to fill my days with what is good and pleasing to you. Amen.

Discussion: What is the difference between relaxation and idleness?

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Productivity

/ JJS / Leave a comment

lookbusy

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 88; 148, Micah 6:1-8, Revelation 9:13-21, Luke 10:38-42

Search “productivity” on Amazon.com, and you’ll get more than 32,000 results. A few decades ago modern conveniences like microwaves, dishwashers, and computers promised to free us from the drudgery of labor. In reality, most of us have crammed that extra time, both at work and at home, with yet more tasks. In many industries productivity is measured in increments of seconds, and we learn to judge ourselves in terms of efficiency. The past was not necessarily better, but it was certainly simpler. Or was it?

When Jesus entered a certain village, Martha invited him into her home. Her sister, Mary sat at his feet and listened to what he had to say. Martha, distracted by many tasks, asked why Jesus didn’t seem to care she was doing all the work by herself. Jesus told her: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Remember that Martha extended the invitation. We don’t know what her specific tasks were, but they probably included what she thought were efforts to be a good hostess. Ironically, that seemed to involve everything but spending time with her guest. Was she really resentful of Mary, or was she frustrated that she couldn’t shrug off her own slavishness to productivity? We never learn how Martha responded, but one can imagine a moment of stunned silence as she realized she was complaining about a problem of her own making.

After we invite Christ into our lives, do we choose the one thing or the distractions? Is the bulk of our time at church spent tending the building or the flock? Are we too busy making sure people know we are Christian to actually model Christ? Is our prayer time filled with words or silence?

There is always plenty to be done, and we must make time for the doing, but we must also remember the doing is not more important than the being: being in the presence of God and God’s children.

Comfort: You can slow down. You can even stop once in a while.

Challenge: Make a list of the things you do simply because you think other people expect you to. What could you cross off?

Prayer: Eternal God, teach me to be mindful and present. Amen.

Discussion: In what ways have you created unnecessary work for yourself?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!