Rest.

Welcome (or welcome back) to In the Whispers, a collection of anecdotes, essays, and rambles about the wisdom I receive from God “in the whispers”: in retrospection, prayer, and messy little moments. I hope this blesses you, and please consider subscribing. <3

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Last week was the first week I didn’t post since starting this publication back in June.

Believe me—I wanted to. All summer, I kept up with my blog no matter what. In busy times and mournful times, I would still manage to post something.

But last Sunday, at the last minute, I decided against it. Besides the fact that I was coming off of my first week in a real 9-5 job, the reason I didn’t post was to live out the message I want to share with you all right now: Rest.

As Christians, there is a lot we can do and should do for God’s glory. As the Bible puts it, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”¹ This is a metaphor Jesus uses to to illustrate the fact that there is always a need for the gospel to be shared. Spreading the gospel is rewarding and sometimes pretty fun, but it’s not a secret that this requires effort, especially for those called to spread the gospel more consistently and formally—pastors, missionaries, and content creators, for example.

Doing a lot for God’s glory is good, of course, but if we’re not careful, it can stop us from fully being present with God Himself! After a while, we’re pouring from an empty cup, which is actually an obstacle to our mission.

I think one of the best examples of this comes from the gospel of Luke in Chapter 10, the story of Martha and Mary. Funny enough, I was reminded of this story when I was taking a fast from social media last summer and happened to look at old Bible notes I have hanging over my desk out of sheer boredom.

The story is short, so I will share all of the verses here:

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10: 38-42)

As you can see, there are two sisters, Martha and Mary. Jesus (aka GOD) is literally in their home, and the two women respond very differently.

Martha, with good intentions, sees Jesus and wants to do things for Him. She wants to prepare the home and make it look nicer. At first glance, it’s easy to side with Martha. She’s doing all the work, right? But it’s actually Mary who operates in wisdom here. Again, Jesus (aka GOD) is standing before them. Does He not deserve their full and undivided attention?

Notice the key word in verse 40 is distracted. Of course, there is a time to do work for the Lord, but this was not the time. Martha was so busy doing things for God that she almost missed the fact that He was there right in front of her, desiring to simply spend time with her. Martha was doing for Jesus; Mary was resting with Jesus. At the end of the day, this is what Jesus wants us to do.

Isn’t that such a sweet message? Isn’t Jesus so kind? Take a deep breath! Yes, really take a deep breath. He loves us and wants to spend time with us!

Sometimes, our walk isn’t about doing the actions—it’s not always about reading more scripture, singing more songs, or posting more content. Sometimes, it’s all about sitting at His feet and being present.

Lay down, and tell Him about your day; consider all that there is to be grateful for; listen to the sounds of nature–God created it all.

Rest.

He’s calling you to do so.

1. Matthew 9:35-38 - “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”