Enough?
Last week, I was paged for a phone call and had to hurriedly travel the length of the building in which I work, including climbing a flight of stairs. Picking up the phone in my office a little out of breath, I felt the need to explaining my extra breathing and did so with the light-hearted quip that, if nothing else, the caller had at least contributed to me getting a little exercise.
He responded with sharing something that had obviously been on his mind. He had recently purchased a pedometer, measuring how he compared to the National Heart Foundation's recommendation that 10,000 steps per day is a good start to being healthily active.
But his next question got me thinking: "Is there a level of healthfulness at which we are doing enough?" He gave the usual church-inspired list-not drinking, not smoking, mostly vegetarian-thereby ticking off most of the highest-recommend health practices.
"So," he continued, "doing all those things, is there a point where I can say I am doing enough to look after my health and not have to feel guilty that I should be doing more?"
* * *
A couple of days later, I caught up with some friends who moved into their owner-built house last Christmas, after three years of steady work on it while maintaining full-time jobs. I asked if they were enjoying some of their post-building project free(er) time.
The wife commented that she was having a difficult time convincing her husband to slow down and enjoy sitting on their recently-completed deck, looking across the lake. "There's always more to do," she commented. "We could keep working for the next 10 years and it still would not be ‘finished,' so we have to keep telling ourselves to slow down and enjoy it, not just keep working at it."
* * *
In the past few months, some family members have returned to Australia after five years working with orphans in a developing country. They had left their home and family, worked for that time in often-difficult circumstances, witnessed poverty and disease, and suffered disappointments in their work, as well as seeing some successes and many people helped. But their return to "normal life" remains difficult.
Of course, there is the reverse culture shock and, to a certain extent, one should not expect to be unchanged by such an experience. It would be wrong to simply able to return to "normal." But one of the obstacles to re-adjustment seems to be the nagging knowledge that there is more to be done and that perhaps they have not yet done "enough."
* * *
It is a recurring question. In doing good,
when have we done enough? What is a reasonable expectation for looking after
our health? When can we sit and enjoy what we have done, rather than focusing
on what remains unfinished? When have we made a sufficient contribution to the
good of others? In so many aspects of living well, can we ever relax in the
knowledge that we have done enough? Or must we always live with a vague sense
of guilt that there is still more care to be taken, more work to do and more to
give out or give up?
And then it comes to practicing our faith. Even in the most grace-oriented religious environments-in sermons, conversations, expectations and implications-we are constantly urged to pray harder, worship better, study the Bible more, understand deeper, serve still more, witness more effectively and unashamedly, give more generously and believe more steadfastly. But does there come a point where we have done enough?
It isn't about slackness, apathy or mediocrity. It isn't that there aren't important, urgent and worthwhile things to do in the world-and to work hard at. But isn't life and faith that is perpetually driven, never content and always guilty about the more that should be done something less than the best kind of life or faithfulness?
The Bible's wisdom is anything but clear cut. Much of the sermonising that urges us on to more is drawn from the Bible. Paul, in particular, regularly urged his readers to press on with the discipline of elite athletes toward the goals and the tasks God has given us (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
But there are also the picture of God leading His people beside quiet waters (see Psalm 23), a calendar given to God's people that includes times and seasons of work, celebration and rest (see Exodus to Deuteronomy), and even a weekly holy-day called Sabbath that injects a different kind of time into our lives, a step away from many of our relentless strivings.
Jesus said, "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. Walk 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. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message).
Perhaps this is kind of the direction I am thinking about. But how do we apply it in the various aspects of our lives, faith, giving, sharing, loving and serving? Those are questions I'm still working on and answersI must-it seems-keep working towards.
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 | Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown is a book editor and former magazine editor for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific, based just out of Melbourne, Australia. He has degrees in law, literature and English. He is married to Angela and they have two mismatched dogs and sponsor kids in a number of countries. Nathan is the author of four books: Pastor George (2010), a biography of the first Australian Aborigine to be ordained as an Adventist pastor; a novel Nemesis Train (2008); Seven Reasons Life is Better with God (2007); and the thought-provoking Relevation (2006). He has also edited a number of books, most recently Ordinary People-Generous God (2010). |
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Re: Enough?
Health reform like all aspects of sanctification is never "done". Sanctification is dynamic, not static. Nor can it ever be static unless a person is dead. Our relationship with God is always and forever an increasing understanding of His will and love and our on-going response. And when a person understands this truth, they have "arrived" at the true understanding of "moral perfection".
It was and is Satan's purpose to create a "static" religion of a non-dynamic "perfection" where a person is no longer challenged in their relationship with God. An affinity to "once saved, always saved" which destroys the dynamics of the relationship.
People seek an unconditional salvation with no accountability and no possibility of failure. This is not bible "salvation". The purpose of salvation is to restore man to the dynamic responsibility of self government where the possibility of failure always keeps a person "on their toes" in a spiritual sense. And only when they comprehend their eternal life and destiny is dependent on their choices and decisions will they take seriously those choices and decisions.
Is this negative? NO. For any quality of life is dependent on the value of the decision. If the decision has no value, there is no quality of life and life is meaningless. So, we see in this context, the more important it is to make the right decision is directly related to the consequence of it.
Sin destroys this quality of life by removing the possibility of making a wrong choice. If we make a wrong choice accidentally or by way of ignorance, forgivenness is continual and ongoing. But when a wrong choice is made in rebellion, the consequence is eternal damnation and destruction. And this is the unpardonable sin.
Bill Sorensen
Re: Enough?
The purpose of salvation is to restore man to the dynamic responsibility of self government where the possibility of failure always keeps a person "on their toes" in a spiritual sense.
Wow, I can hardly wait to start spending eternity on my toes, what a fantastic future!
Re: Enough?
Ella M
Nathan, I can relate to what you write. I have all those feelings even though I am a caregiver, I am bothered at not doing enough in my church or for others and for not doing the writing I have wanted to do for God. (You may remember what I mean here!) It seems human nature to always wonder if we have done enough or are good enough. Since we know our salvation doesn't depend on works, we carry that desire to help others to a better life, even eternal life.
When we follow Jesus, I think He gives us what we need to grow in our serviceand does not overwhelm us. It's too bad we can't rest in Him and enjoy His peace. Instead we fret and believe the whole world depends on us. We need to know our limitations, time, gifts, skills, talents, etc. and listen for His guidance.
We need a balanced life, and if we don't care for our health we really can't serve others, at least not for very long. Good health isn't just an end in itself.
Mentally, spiritually, and physically resting in Jesus; I think this is why Sabbathkeeping was made for humans. It's not a religious work, but a rest from our everyday activity.
I want to point out what I see as a theological error by one writer who said: "But when a wrong choice is made in rebellion, the consequence is eternal damnation and destruction. And this is the unpardonable sin."
I think everyone has rebelled in some way or another in their lifetime with wrong choices. God is always ready to forgive like the Prodigal Son who came back. The unpardonable sin is a continued and persistent rejection of the Holy Spirt over time until one has lost their freedom to accept eternal life and clearly does't want it. It is not one choice and I'm out.
The reason for Jesus' first advent was to show the love and forgiveness of the Father, and I believe He is more kind and loving than any of us can imagine. To reflect that love in our human circumstances is the only perfection He wants.
Re: Enough?
Ella said.......
"The reason for Jesus' first advent was to show the love and forgiveness of the Father, and I believe He is more kind and loving than any of us can imagine. To reflect that love in our human circumstances is the only perfection He wants. "
This is true, Ella. But the sinful human mind has a way of wresting every biblical truth from its context and placing a human interpretation on its meaning and application.
Repentance is no easy matter. We all resist it and look for and find a million reasons not to do it. God uses every avenue of communication to explain His kingdom and its principles. None of us are free from the weakness of avoiding the need to repent.
Hopefully, we understand our words and actions should always be redemptive and this should be our goal. Many factors are involved in love. Warning, encouraging, advising, helping and a thousand other means of grace are all a part of being "redemptive".
If a person does not want to repent, they may say, "You are judging me and so I won't listen to what you have to say." This may be the most used argument to avoid repentance. But we must remember the human mind will manufacture a million reasons why we don't need to repent.
And sad to say, many get massive doses of affirmation in their sin by some well meaning people who patronize sin and seek to avoid repentance themselves.
None the less, what you said is true in and of itself. And it is also a factor in leading to repentance.
Bill Sorensen
Re: Enough?
One of the ways I believe Satan tries to get at Adventists, is to convince us we are never doing enough or are never "good" enough. At the opposite end is nominalism where we buy into the notion that any emphasis on obedience to God is legalism. Both these opposite spiritual afflictions are like ditches on differing sides of the same road. Satan doesn't care which ditch you tend toward, just as long as he can succeed in getting you in the ditch.
God's word in the Bible and the writing from the pen of Ellen White are valuable roadmaps that will guide us to stay out of the ditches and on the roadway to heaven. Both can be a blessing or a curse depending on whether Jesus is the center of your focus or yourself and your behavior.
Always look at the context of the counsel that is given in both the Bible and writings of Ellen White. Remember God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. I would suggest, Nathan, that you read the chapter "Come Rest Awhile" in Desire of Ages and look for passages in the Bible that focus on God's grace, which is both pardoning and empowering.