Balance

One of my favorite verses is John 10:10. Here Jesus says that He has come to grant us as His followers life to the full. Last night this verse got me to thinking...what does full really mean?

In the church, we seem to do a great job at keeping our calendar "full" of stuff. Much of this program based routine is our attempt to spiritually form people. But what happens when the programs don't measure up to their original intent? What happens when the programs begin to detract from true spiritual growth?

Jesus came to give us life to the full. I believe His reference was directed towards the heart, not the bank balance or day planner. I've heard a lot of talk about divine appointments in my life. While I do agree that God sets things in motion to bring people across our paths so that we can impact and be impacted, I don't believe that God operates out of chaos or busyness. God is not lazy, but God does not how and when to rest. Think about this for a moment. The creator of the universe (everything we can see and can't see) took time to rest on the 7th day of creation. If He took time to rest, why don't we? Why do we feel the need to overprogram ourselves...to keep busy?

I believe it's because of fear that we fill up our schedules. We're afraid that not having a full plate will invite other people to judge us and comment about our inactivity as Christians. For my job, I have to hand in contacting information...a list of the people I have connected with on a monthly basis. While this can be good in terms of accountability, it can also be something negative if I allow my fear of a poor job review to govern my desire to fill up my schedule with stuff to do and people to meet.

Life to the full speaks to the heart. I believe Jesus extends the invitation to each of us to build new life into our very being. He desires to fill us with compassion, mercy, hope, love, peserverance, truth, honesty, integrity and other Christ-like characteristics. This is what a full life is all about...Christ-like character being developed in us and through us within the context of relationship!

If you're looking for a truly full life, I suggest you begin letting go of your day-timer and freeing up your time to allow God to direct and to move in and through you as He sees fit.

Just a thought...