One Thing

Sliding my sunglasses down over my eyes, I plugged in my iPod to the speaker and took off down the road towards the big city, where a swimming pool and ice cream awaited us. 

Emily and I had a mini-vacation to-do list, which mainly involved hanging out with one of our missionary friends in the city. When we asked her what "touristy" things we could do with her, she didn't have much to offer. "We don't have a lot of tourist stuff, but we have a Marina Market and a Bingo," which are two large grocery stores that carry American and European items. You would have thought she invited us to a theme park with roller coasters. It's kind of sad when going to the grocery store is your idea of having fun, but hey, this is Africa. 

To mark two months in Burkina Faso since our arrival in January, Emily and I withdrew to get a little rest and relaxation. It was a much needed break, something that we probably don't do often enough. At least it's something I know this (pointing a finger at myself) little workaholic doesn't do often enough. It's interesting how fast ministry can become an idol. How quickly I can drown out the voice of Jesus saying, "Martha, Martha, only one thing is necessary." 

Only one thing is necessary. 

I wonder what Jesus did when he withdrew. I know it was often early in the morning, and he must have had somewhere on a mountainside that he liked. I know he didn't often tell people where he was going, and they went crazy looking for him. I also know he prayed. But other than that, I just let my mind wonder...

For me, it's a cup of coffee with a little sugar and creamer in it. It's pulling a chair onto the front porch where I can sit in the shade with my Bible in my lap and put my legs in the sun. It's a spot where I can feel the breeze, and it keeps rustling my open pages but I don't mind. My journal is open, too, with pens of different colors so I can jot down all the different things that God whispers to my heart. This is where I camped out Saturday morning just after I woke up. This was the whole reason for the road trip getaway. 

For me, the weekend withdrawal was great and all - I loved lounging at the pool, sleeping in AC, moseying in the mornings, watching a movie over a Saturday brunch of bacon and pancakes, browsing the isles of the grocery store in amazement that strawberry yogurt and cherry 7up exist within three hours of where I live, using high speed internet where YouTube videos load and I can actually see Facebook feed, and indulging in brownies and overpriced ice cream because we live in the desert. But that's not where the real rest happened. 

The sweetest moment of the entire weekend was a quiet hour on the front porch with no one but me and Jesus. 

For rest doesn't actually depend on the circumstances. You don't have to go out of town, buy ice cream, or make a cup of coffee to find rest. (When we do all that, are we really finding rest or just fabricating a false one?) Real rest is found in a person. 

Rest takes intentionality. It requires withdrawal from the noise, even if what is causing that noise is something as good as ministry. 

"Only one thing is necessary," Jesus told Martha, who was busy preparing the meal and doing all the good things a good hostess would do. I want to be a good hostess to my Jesus. 

But then there was Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet, in his presence, listening to him. Nothing could take her away from that moment. 

There is something better than being a good hostess. More than being a servant, I want to be a worshipper. 

Psalm 34:1-2 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together."

If I could be remembered as anything, I want to be remembered as a worshipper. Someone who blessed God at all times, even the greatest and hardest times. I want his praise to be continually coming out of my mouth. And I want to be someone who is always recruiting others to worship with me. "Oh, magnify the Lord with me!"

All these things are flowing onto the pages of my journal with bright colored ink as God speaks to me in the quiet moments of rest on the front porch. My coffee is getting cold because I can't put my Bible and my journal down. For it's not the coffee or the AC or the Internet that make this weekend respite so peaceful, so restful, so good. It's the time spent when the river stops running and the waters calm down long enough to become a still, silent lake. It is here that the sun reflects off the waters. 

It is here that the branches abide in the vine and drink deeply of the nourishment that comes from His presence and His word. 

Can I encourage you to pause long enough today to taste what I'm talking about? If you can't do it today, make a date out of it like I did. Take a retreat or a respite, whether it be half an hour or a weekend, and withdraw like Jesus did. Sit like Mary did. Only one thing is necessary. 

What other "one thing" could possibly be worth seeking with our whole hearts? What "one thing" could ever be worth pursuing more than this? Don't let this be the "one thing" that gets pushed to the side first when life gets busy or boring. Let this "one thing" be the treasure that we would sell everything we own - even give up our own lives - to have. Jesus, your presence. May we be nothing but worshippers.