Issue 158
To hear some conversations it would be possible to conclude that one of the greatest illnesses to contract would be ‘lack of busyness’. “Keeping busy?” is almost a substitute question for “how are you?” and a substitute answer for “fine, thank you”. Some sad souls lose their busyness and are pitied by those for whom busyness has become the great status symbol.
For Christians, such busyness in the context of working for God takes on the badge of commitment as we assume that God is pleased with the full diaries and the ‘devil makes work for idle hands’. The mantra of the busy, especially the long term busy, who are now into the last laps of their rat race is “I would rather wear out than rust out”. In one phrase this justification for a frenetic lifestyle is delivered and the concept of rest is postponed for Heaven’s holiday home.
You may consider that I’m caricaturing at this point and of course to a certain extent I am, but I’m also challenging the notion that there are only two alternatives: rusting out or wearing out. Rusting out implies lack of use, exposure to the elements and lying about letting material decay take over. This clearly is seen as a bad thing. Wearing out, however, in this phrase implies full use at full throttle until full-time. But it also implies overuse to destruction as tired, weary and aged assets simply pack up, give up or crack up.
Where is the Christian concept of wearing out for God? Why would God want us to wear out? Is life meant to be so incredibly demanding that we just collapse at the end?
When Jesus ended his life, he shouted with a loud voice “it is finished”. He had earlier described the last stages of his life as being to bring his Father glory on earth by completing the work he had been given to do. Completion, finishing, even celebration hallmarked this triumphant finish. Certainly not rusting, but neither wearing out would be the description of Jesus’ life.
The irony is that this magnificent exit line is uttered from a cross, from a person whose tortured, broken body had been abused by his enemies. But the final note is pure and clear and melodic. The end is a crescendo, not a collapse. There is a third alterative to rusting or wearing out: bowing out gracefully, triumphantly and peacefully. This is called finishing well and was practised by a man who did all things well: even dying.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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