Don’t Waste Your Christmas Break
Chip Chambers // UGA Graduate
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” - Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)
Breaks always start out great. I make it home, fall onto my bed, and breathe a sigh of relief. The reprieve I have looked forward to for so long has finally arrived.
Then one day goes by, and another. I have less on my plate, but I actually seem less productive and more miserable. I begin reading my Bible less than during the semester, and I end up spending my time on, well, actually I’m never really sure where the time goes.
Then, the emotional struggles kick in. Boredom. Loneliness. Apathy. Anxiety.
Judging by the conversations I’ve had with others, I’m not the only one. So when the busyness and pressure of the semester subside, how do we fight to feel energized? How do we ward off the apathy? How do we fight back against laziness, sleeping in, and ending the day unsure where all the time actually went?
Some people would say that you need to use this time to be productive. Some would say you just need to use this time to rest. They’re both right, and they’re both wrong, depending on how we define those terms. So, first, let’s be sure we get them straight.
Properly Defining Productivity:
At the end of Luke 10, we have the story of Mary and Martha. They approached productivity in two different ways, and Scripture leaves no ambiguity around who had it right.
Mary, we are told “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” Martha, on the other hand, “was distracted with much serving.”
Martha, it would seem, had read Smarter. Faster. Better and Getting Things Done. But Jesus doesn’t seem impressed by her work ethic. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken from her.”
Martha’s heart wasn’t one of humbly receiving and listening, at least not yet. She thought there was work to be done before she could set aside time for Jesus to teach her. She was dead wrong.
And in 5 short verses, we see the consequences of her task-based definition of productivity: she is anxious and troubled (v. 41), and she’s frustrated that Mary isn’t doing as much as she is (v. 40).
Here’s how to know if you’re operating with Martha’s definition of productivity:
Are you stressed, worried, or frustrated with other people who seem lazy to you?
Have you ever thought about how wonderfully inefficient prayer is? If God’s sole purpose was for us to maximize our time in terms of getting things done, then why would He make his actions contingent upon the regular, laborious asking (Luke 18:1-8) of His people? Why doesn’t He just work His sovereign will Himself and leave us to go do other productive things?
Because God isn’t interested in defining productivity like we do. He has no desire to check off boxes (after all, He owns the boxes). He wants your heart. And prayer is one way He draws us to Himself in dependence, over and over.
God doesn’t need you to run 4 miles each day this break. He doesn’t need you to read a book of systematic theology. He doesn’t need you to take up sewing, painting, gardening, learn a new language, clean all your windows, start an Etsy, or do any of that stuff you’ve been “meaning to do” for months.
He wants you to sit with Him.
Even as I wrote this article, I felt the temptation to work on getting it completed instead of spending time with God myself. That is precisely the type of damnable self-sufficiency and perversion of productivity that Jesus warns about here.
This break, will you focus on listening more than doing? The Gospel is first and foremost an invitation into the presence of God. The service follows. Don’t get that order mixed up.
Properly Defining Rest:
Today, there is more focus on holistic health (both mental and physical) than there has ever been in history. More resources, attention, and time go towards self-care than ever before, and that’s a wonderful thing.
We just have to make sure God is defining self-care, not us.
I’ve heard “self-care” used to justify binge-watching Netflix alone late into the night, playing phone games as a “break” from work, grabbing some comfort food because you’ve “earned it,” having a drink each night as a “pick-me-up,” and scrolling through social media indefinitely as some “me time” in which you pull away from others.
If we look at God’s definition of rest, however, those sound a lot more like self-indulgence. People who are characterized by routinely turning to “pick-me-ups” may sound free, but they’re actually slaves (2 Peter 2:18-19). Too often, we gorge ourselves on quick pleasures, then lament that we have no appetite for the feast of Scripture (Proverbs 27:7).
Scripture tells us to abstain from what the flesh wants because it hurts our soul (1 Peter 2:11), avoid excessive enjoyment of physical pleasures (Proverbs 25:27), avoid excessive food and drink (Proverbs 21:17, 23:20), discipline our bodies (1 Corinthians 9:27), and avoid isolating ourselves from others (Proverbs 18:1). Instead, we remind ourselves that God’s grace is meant to teach us to renounce self-indulgence so that we might live self-controlled lives (Titus 2:11-12).
So Biblical rest entails enjoying God’s good gifts of food (Ecclesiastes 9:7), alcohol (1 Timothy 5:23), sleep (Psalm 127:2), work (Genesis 2:15), and community (1 Cor. 12:25-27). But holiness also means being willing to go without any of these temporarily for the sake of the Gospel and in service of others (Galatians 5:13).
3 Practical Principles for Restful Productivity:
With those two terms properly defined, let’s hit 3 quick principles that will help guide our time.
Principle 1: There’s a battle going on, and the clock is ticking
Ephesians 5:16 leaves no question about whether we are supposed to operate with an urgency. It tells us to make the most efficient use of our time, because each day is “evil”. Paul is telling us that we need to be methodical and strategic about each day, because the clock is ticking. Our boss has given us a job to do, and He’s coming back soon (Luke 12:35-48).
Practical tip: With a renewed definition of productivity, sit down each morning and write down 3 things you won’t go to bed without doing that day (and remember they don’t have to be superhuman feats). This will focus your attention, provide structure, and energize you.
Principle 2: You’re not on missional hiatus. You’ve been deployed to another war zone.
The lie from the enemy this break will be that your normal call to holiness and being missional has been suspended temporarily. The lie will be to just indulge yourself during this “down time” in between the real missions.
You haven’t been pulled from the war though. You’ve just been dropped into another battlefield.
Your family still needs you to be humble, missional, joyful, patient, kind, and self-controlled. Your old friends need it too.
Practical tip: Write down the names of 3 people you want to share the Gospel with this break.
Principle 3: Don’t stumble into a warzone unarmed and without a strategy.
After Paul gives us the command to use our days wisely in Ephesians 5, he doesn’t just leave us on our own to figure out what that looks like. In Ephesians 6, we are told
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Translation: There’s a war going on, and you’re going to want to suit up for this one. There’s gear for you to wear, and it’s your only chance to make it through.
I love the challenge at the beginning: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” If you think you can live a life of holiness without the Holy Spirit, you’re both naïve and arrogant.
So how do you practically don the armor of God this break?
Strap up the belt of truth (v. 14) and pick a book you’re going to read this break to learn more about God’s Truth. God wants you to know Him. He doesn’t want to be a stranger. So pick a book, write it down, and tell a friend. Then enjoy feasting on truth.
Lace up the shoes of peace (v. 15) on some beautiful feet and look for ways to introduce other people to the Prince of Peace.
Take up the shield of faith (v. 16) by picking a day to fast and putting it on your calendar. Choosing to deprive ourselves of food can help intensify spiritual passions by removing the numbing effects of physical pleasure (1 Cor. 7:5).
Put salvation’s helmet (v. 17) on your head by keeping the Gospel on your mind. Put reminders on your phone throughout the day to meditate on what Christ has done for you. Meditate on adoption, reconciliation, renewal, and union with Christ.
Wield the sword of the Spirit (v. 17) by allowing the Spirit to speak in His Word. God wrote a book. Feast on it each morning and arm yourself with the only offensive weapon in our arsenal. One practical way to help this happen is to commit to a single (realistic) morning routine. Decide not to look at a screen before you’ve gotten in the word.
Pray constantly (v. 18) and build the habit of constant dependence by talking to the Spirit like He’s standing next to you.
Amidst all of this battle, remember that you are not commander-in-chief.
There’s a wondrous freedom in the type of discipline that both sits and listens, then goes and tells. Learn to do both, but never forget the order they come in.
“There’s a wondrous freedom in the type of discipline that both sits and listens, then goes and tells. Learn to do both, but never forget the order they come in.”
Chip, a long-time Watkinsvillian and WFBCer, graduated from UGA in December, 2019 with degrees in biology and economics. He has served in Watkidsville and with the college teaching team while at Watkinsville, and plans to attend medical school in the fall of 2020 (James 4:15). He enjoys puns, watching Planet Earth, and has a passion for people’s heads and hearts to both be full with the knowledge of Jesus, which is both conceptual and experiential.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn Instagram: @chip_chambers
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