Month: July 2015

Letters to The Family: Claire

Letters to The Family One comment
Meet Claire. Claire is one of my internet friends. I have loads of them these days thanks to Jen Hatmaker and The “For The Love” Launch Team. Claire is delightful. She has a tender heart and loves people. She is gracious and supportive. I would guess that her “in real life” friends find her to be a great cheerleader. I am taking a road trip with Claire in a month and I cannot wait to become friends outside of social media. 
ClaireIn her own words: Claire is a wife and mother from Houston, TX. She and her husband currently have two children and are adopting another from India. She is a hobby collector, running her small baking business, helping with a non-profit, playing the mandolin, learning random languages, and any other hobby that seems fascinating. She loves going to school, doing anything outside, reading political articles, reading in general, and talking theology. She is super sarcastic and obsessed with way too many tv shows. Follow her brave adventure over on IG @mummertsadopt. 
Dear Church,

It’s time to take care. I know you mean well and you are working hard, but it is time to take care. So first, it’s time to care of your people. I don’t mean the overall congregation or larger capital C Church body, I mean your people. The day in day out people who are giving their entire life to keep the church going (both paid and unpaid). Let’s stop abusing the ones who are giving up everything on your behalf. Can we be real that sometimes working at church is like finding out how the sausage is made? When you work for a church you really meet that contrast between the brokenness of sinful, fallen people and the idea that as Christians we should be set apart and different. The problem is that sometimes these meet each other in a painful way. Rather than being open and honest about the imperfections, there is this superiority and hypocrisy that can happen. Sometimes there are people, the people being served, who decide that they know the best or that God has called them to speak out against those who are serving. There are just so many opportunities for these servants to be raked across the coals. They will not be perfect, they will mess up, they will burn out, so take care. Check in, get to the heart, give back, take care of your people. Love deeply, speak graciously, take care. Don’t let these people pour and pour and pour, without refilling. Even your volunteers – speak kindly, give back, take care.

Second, take care of your image. This sounds crazy shallow, but at the same time your image is the image of Christ. Stop throwing out your words without thinking through the implications, start loving unconditionally. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Let go of grudges. Love those who fly in the face of everything you believe in. In fact, go crazy, let them in. Let them feel welcomed into the church. You don’t have to tell them they are correct in their sin, you can stand on that issue and still love them deeply. Remember that the name of Christ is branded, whether implicitly or explicitly, on everything you do. So, live like He lived, and care like He cared.

Dear, church. Take care.

In Christ,

Claire

Rest or Laziness?

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Currently my apartment is a mess. There is no poetic way to paint this picture. It is simply, a mess. Suitcases partially unpacked, unmade bed, old mail, groceries on the counter. But, hey, summer has been crazy with two big trips, recovery time, and the usual weekly expectations as well. Not to mention trying to figure out finances for all that is coming my way this fall. There is a whirlwind of happening and a girl has got to rest, so we can excuse the mess, right?

We are commanded to rest. Sabbath. Set aside time to be still.

Sometimes, that means excusing the mess. But not always. And not in my current case. I have not been resting. I have been lazy.

So, what is the difference?

I believe there are two main differences. Intentionality and outcome. Let’s break it down a bit…

Intentionality

  • Rest requires planning. Laziness just happens.
  • Rest means investing in your life. Laziness means wasting your life.
  • Rest minimizes distraction. Laziness is distraction.
  • Rest hides in relationship. Laziness hides from relationship.

Outcome

  • Rest prepares you for action. Laziness dissuades you from action.
  • Rest creates room for you to be filled with life. Laziness fills your life so there is no room.
  • Rest removes the weight from your shoulders. Laziness adds the weight of guilt.
  • Rest sends you out. Laziness sucks you in.

I have rested a bit this summer, but in all honesty, mostly, I have been lazy. The housework has piled up, as has the guilt. The mess is driving me crazy, and yet, just as sugar begets sugar cravings, laziness begets Netflix marathon cravings. And like any bad habit, it takes hard work to replace it with good habits. However, true rest is worth the effort.

Still not sure what the difference is between rest and laziness? Well, I asked my internet friends for tangible examples from their own lives. Here are some of their responses:

Rest is meeting my friends for coffee. Laziness is spending hours liking and commenting on social media.

Rest is getting up early to knock out a few hours of writing. Laziness is sleeping in until noon and waking up still feeling exhausted.

Rest is sitting on the porch, drinking a glass of wine, chatting with friends. Laziness is always choosing that over the dishes in the sink.

Rest is watching a movie with my child. Laziness is watching Sports Center instead of taking care of life.

Rest is creating something. Laziness is playing games on my phone.

Rest is giving myself a pass one day on making my bed. Laziness is giving myself a pass everyday.

Rest is going for a walk. Laziness is not leaving the house.

Rest is a Chick-fil-a run so I can spend time doing something I love. Laziness is a Chick-fil-a run so I don’t have to think about what to cook. 

Rest is lying on the beach with a good book. Laziness is lying on the couch and playing games on my phone all day.

Rest is watching Gilmore Girls during the kids’ nap time. Laziness is watching tv all day. 

Rest is turning off my phone so I can hear from the Lord. Laziness is turning off my phone so I can avoid someone. 

Rest is spending time reading God’s Word on my own. Laziness is skipping church because I don’t like the sermons. 

Rest is deep, intentional conversation over coffee. Laziness is staying superficial with new friends.

So there you have it. Real life examples of rest verses laziness. What about you? What activities are restful for you and when do you know you have crossed into laziness?