A Letter from Bishop Chris

Friends,

There are few things as damaging, and potentially soul-destroying, as busyness. The philosopher Blaise Pascal said that busyness sends more people to hell than unbelief. That’s a strong statement, but I believe he’s right. How tragic would it be to spend your life chasing after many good things but missing the one thing necessary - a relationship with Jesus Christ? Yet, many people do that every day. Blinded to their true need, ultimately these busy (often productive and successful) people will discover they accomplished nothing of eternal significance. Even worse, they will miss eternal life completely.

But busyness doesn’t just affect non-believers. It also keeps those of us who know Christ from growing deeply in our relationship with him. Thus, busyness weighs us down and threatens the health of our souls. 

The Good News is that Jesus has an answer for our busy lives and the solution for our overloaded hearts. He gives each of us a personal invitation to soul rest when he says: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When you are overloaded, there’s only one Person who can provide soul rest. It’s Jesus. In the midst of a soul-sick, crazy-busy life, God’s prescription is to spend time alone with Him.

I love Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:6:“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (MSG)

Some of you have yet to learn to do this. Others haven’t done it in weeks or months. You are weighed down by the bad news in the world all around us. You are wearied by the cares and concerns of your life.  What your soul needs most is to be lovingly met in time alone with God in silence.

God is waiting for you to call on him. In fact it is his grace that draws and invites you toward him. Repeatedly in the Bible God tells us, “Cry out to me. Call out to me. Seek me. Talk to me. Cast your burdens on me.”

If you’re running on empty today, the first thing to do is call out to God for help. There is no pill, program, or plan that satisfies or refuels like His presence. Come to Christ, and he will give you rest. Why not be intentional about making space to be with God during the last few weeks of Lent? Take the remainder of this season to downshift and allow him to restore your soul.

But here’s the thing - our busyness doesn’t just threaten our souls. Our busyness threatens the souls of others because it keeps us from serving them. A depleted heart has nothing to give. I wonder how many Gospel opportunities go unnoticed because our hearts and eyes are focused on unnecessary things in our busyness? What’s necessary is eternal; namely the lives of our brothers and sisters around us who don’t know Christ. 

CH Spurgeon wrote, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

What if we each repented deeply of our busyness in these remaining weeks of Lent?  What if you made space for silence and spent time lifting your unbelieving neighbors before Christ in prayer? What if you invited someone to church with you for Easter? What if you asked God what he wants you to let go of so that you can bring Good News to others? What if we weren’t so busy?

Lenten blessings,

+Chris