________________________________________________________________________ SOURCE: THE SCRAWL: A Newsletter For Christian Students Volume #3 Issue #5b March 7, 1993 ________________________________________________________________________ . . . .-----. | .-. | | `-'< E S T I N G I N T H E L O R D | .-. | ___________________________________ | | | | by Jenn Beckley `-' `-' "Rest? How can I do that? I don't have the time...after all, I'm a college student!" How many times have you heard those words? How many times have you spoken those words? The truth is there -- or is it? Is it that we really don't have the time to rest? Or do we not take the time to rest? Several weeks ago I had half an hour with nothing to do. I don't know how I managed it, but there I was, sitting and wondering "What do I do?" A few seconds later, I asked God once more, "What *do* I do? What do you want me to do this semester?" So I prayed. And when I could think of nothing else to pray about at the time, I was silent. I listened, and God spoke. "Rest... Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). "Lord, that's crazy! I can't rest...what do you want me to *do*?" Still the answer was simply "Rest." At that point I came to realize how much I was caught up in *doing* things. I was finally at a point where I didn't have anything pressing to do, and I was about to go crazy. I had been so tired for so long, and for some reason I had never pinpointed the reason before. I did not know how to rest because I did not think it pleased God. In fact, I had forgotten how to truly rest. The Lord then brought to my mind the story of Mary and Martha, two sisters known for their hospitality -- sisters who had the honor of hosting Jesus while he was in their village (Luke 10:38-42) and who witnessed Jesus raising their brother Lazarus from the dead. Sisters like that must have had no problems at all, right? Wrong. To start with, let's take the example of Martha. We know that she was hospitable and welcomed people eagerly. However, looking beneath the surface of her character, we find that she was more anxious to please people than to please God. In order to please people, she took on many responsibilities. By keeping herself busy, she could not feel guilty for not helping people, for that was her main purpose, and she could tell herself she was doing it all the time. As a result of this, though, she felt tired and overburdened. This made her irritable and, ultimately, critical of her sister. Mary stands (or sits, as the case is) in contrast with Martha. Mary (if I may take the liberty here) is in the living room, allowing Jesus to take her normal seat in the comfortable arm-chair recliner, and sitting on the floor at his feet, listening to Him and worshipping Him. People, especially her sister Martha, did not understand Mary. Yet Mary knew how to take a break from the surrounding business and simply sit and listen to Jesus. Because she listened,she understood his purpose in coming -- the death He would face -- and she accepted it. (See John 12:1-8.) In my study of these women and preparation for sharing the story, I made these observations and sought for a way in which to relate these to students here at Dickinson. In the end, I decided that Martha was an example of the typical Dickinson student, and I'll allow you to determine whether she is the typical student at your school. Mary, on the other hand, I saw as an example, indeed a model, of a truly Christ-centered student. To prove my case, I took the qualities I saw in each of the women and ventured a guess as to how they would act as college students. Martha would have lots of interests due to her desire to please everyone. She would be involved in so many activities (which she would choose almost solely on the basis of how each one would help other people) that she could not get everything done. While her choice in activities may be good, she never would stop to consider what the resulting stress does to her health. She would turn to a little black book -- not her Bible, but her daily planner -- in search of a way to get a handle on her time. By scheduling everything, she would only come to the realization that there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish all she feels she must. In the end, it would be clear that she is distracted by her desire to please all those around her and keep her commitments and forgets that the most important thing is to please God. In contrast, Mary would have one sole interest as a college student -- that of pleasing God. While she may be involved in some activities, she would choose them on the basis of whether or not they would please God. Her load of commitments would not be nearly as large as Martha's. She would turn to a little black book for answers too, but that book is the Bible. While she may follow a schedule, she would also allow herself time to listen to the Lord quiet times and to rest. In the end her silent witness would be heard, and people would see that she lets nothing distract her from the central focus of pleasing God. In fact her life verse would likely be Colossians 3:17: "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father in Christ Jesus." I do not know if you identify with one of these women, but I would challenge you to be more like Mary. I will wrap this article up with five short suggestions which will help you, like Mary, to rest in the Lord. 1. Spend time alone with God daily, and take a sabbath of rest each week. 2. Limit your activities and responsibilities by learning to say "no". 3. Ask God for guidance in making decisions about what to do. When someone approaches you with something to do, and you're not sure that you have the time to do it, ask them to let you pray about it and get back to them later. 4. "Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." 5. Let nothing at all get in the way of your relationship with Christ.