From Fatigue to Fascination

 From Fatigue to Fascination

As humanity we have become accustomed to fatigue. Even spiritually. Ministry fatigue defines the life of many people whether they lead a church, or just attend. Much of that has to do with a consistent pressure to always be doing productive things for God. If we as Christians are afraid of anything, it’s disappointing, missing, or squandering the favor of the Lord. That can certainly wear you out. If you live your life in fatigue long enough, you can find yourself in a spiritual desert. Fatigue happens when our perspective of life includes the word “complicated.” It’s when merely living becomes a labor and a chore. Engaging with people becomes work. Returning emails becomes work. Connecting with people becomes work. Ministry becomes work. Being a good spouse becomes work. Juggling friendships becomes work. Handling the pressures of parenting becomes work. And the holiday season just seems to compound it all. 

In life and ministry, we can start relying on our own gifting, skills, and abilities, rather than operating in the wisdom and the power of God. This is called replacing divine synergy with human strategy. Eventually, our lives become marked by complacency, distraction, and apathy. That’s the point where we find ourselves unable to manage the state of our emotions. Soon we start making decisions that lack wisdom. It’s the opposite of the prosperity of soul. Now for many years, I have said that we are suffering as the body of Christ (and humanity in general) with an identity crisis. Yet I believe it goes deeper than that. We are experiencing an intimacy crisis. A crisis of intimacy comes from extended periods of time of not beholding the Lord or living the reality of our union with him. When Jesus isn’t first in our focus we lose that childlike gift of wonder. 

So is intimacy with God that brings strength and rejuvenates our joy actually something that is accessible? Absolutely. When we experience the new birth of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, there is an inward witness of the Holy Spirit that reveals the power of God that makes all things new. We realize that the resurrection of Jesus Christ validated our innocence, severed us from the bondages of sin, eliminated the barriers of distance and separation, and reconciled us once and for all to the loving heart of the Father. When we become disconnected from intimacy with God, our very identity gets distorted. Now you may say that your life is relatively simple. I would ask you this question. Are you fascinated with Jesus? As far as I can tell, the more complicated life gets, the less fascinated we are with Jesus.  

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The main thing I’d like you to notice about this Scripture is the that it’s all about Jesus and the priceless gift of His rest. He is our union. He is our peace. He is the one who heals the mind, the will, and the emotions. Christmas is such a beautiful time to shift our perspective from the distracted world around us to behold Jesus from the cradle, to the cross, to our hearts, and into eternity. This Christmas, our prayer for you is that fatigue is replaced with fascination. And that the fascination with Jesus would impart rest to your heart and soul. 

St John of the Cross (1542-1591) wrote the following poem for the advent season.

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road

pregnant with the holy, and say, “I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart, my time is so close.”

 

Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime

intimacy, the divine, the Christ taking birth forever,

as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us

is the midwife of God, each of us.

Yet there, under the dome of your being does creation

come into existence eternally, through your womb, dear pilgrim–

the sacred womb in your soul,

as God grasps our arms for help; for each of us is

His beloved servant

never far.