From the Editor
Take a Nap, Child
By Andrea Johnson
Whoever can spin the most plates at once wins, right? The busier a person’s schedule is, the more important we assume they are. Even as Christians, we sometimes think that the fuller our schedule is, the more the Lord is pleased with us. We wouldn’t come right out and say it, but our actions prove otherwise.
There is an old saying, “I would rather burn out than rust out,” as if those were the only two options.
Obviously, we don’t want to be lazy, and we don’t want our lives to be measured by time spent on social media. But we also don’t want to be so busy that we can’t help our neighbor if his basement floods, or chat with the store clerk who suddenly finds herself a widow, or bake cookies with our kids. And we don’t need to be so stressed that any last-minute change to our schedule sends us into a tizzy. Too much is too much, even when it comes to “ministry.”
A few years back I talked to a young mom who felt guilty she wasn’t a better mother and employee. I asked her how much sleep she had gotten the night before, and it wasn’t much. I asked her how much time she had spent that day on herself. None. So why did she feel guilty? She felt she wasn’t giving enough time to her kids or to her employer – even though she was giving all she had!
Obviously, we don’t want to be lazy, and we don’t want our lives to be measured by time spent on social media. But we also don’t want to be so busy that we can’t help our neighbor if his basement floods, or chat with the store clerk who suddenly finds herself a widow . . . .
Where in the Bible does it say that a person must work themselves to exhaustion? What about verses such as Psalm 127:2 (NLT)? “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” Rest is a gift – from God! He commands it! “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work” (Deuteronomy 5:13-14).
We want to be good employees, but there is a difference between being good employees and being enslaved. We don’t need to work our fingers to the bone to “prove” ourselves to others or to God or to get more stuff our children will one day have to discard or try to sell. People we now see hobbling down the halls of nursing homes were themselves once busy, important people. Now they are fortunate if someone visits them once a week.
We want to be good parents, but honestly, once a child passes infancy, they don’t need our attention 24/7. We are responsible to make sure they are loved and well cared for, but that doesn’t mean they (and we) must be involved in every activity that calls to them. Most children don’t need to join all the traveling teams performing every weekend. They may enjoy their activities more if those activities don’t suck up every free moment of their days.
In this season of life as an empty nester, I have the time to pray for extended time periods. But what about when I had children at home? Did God love me less because I wasn’t spending “enough” time with Him? Did He resent the fact that I was taking care of my children or working so that we had the things we needed?
It’s important that we carve out time to spend with the Lord, but that doesn’t have to look the same as everyone else’s time with the Lord, especially when we are in a difficult season of life. One time I was so stressed that I came into my prayer time too distraught to listen or even talk. As I knelt by a bench, I lay my head on it and asked the Lord, “Can I just BE with You?”
It was one of the sweetest times of “prayer” I ever had.
What if we budgeted our money the way we budget our time? Would we be spending it wisely or would we be bankrupt? We are given a limited number of hours in a day. We simply do not have enough of those hours to say yes to everything asked of us. If we dole out too many yeses, we end up disappointing someone who thought they could count on us, or we shortchange ourselves. The things we say yes to should not come at the expense of much needed rest. A friend once said, “If God says no to something, it means we don’t need it.” If we don’t have enough money, we don’t buy stuff. If we don’t have enough time, we say no!
Anyone with young children knows there are times when their behavior is signaling a desperate need for a nap. Often the same could be said for us. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for your loved ones is to go take a nap, reset. As you drift off to sleep, thank the Lord for rest.
In his article, Harris Holsapple [read article] talks about a time when he felt that in ministry one could never say no, until he realized that he was not to try to take Jesus’ place. His job was to point others to Jesus. Can we trust God to meet people’s needs when we can’t?
Adam and Eve first lived in a perfect world, and they still worked (Genesis 2:15). But while they worked, they were “with” the Lord. If we talk with God throughout the day and make sure we are mindful of Him even during work hours, could that be just as meaningful as carving out a weekend to fast and pray (although there are certainly seasons for that)?
Anyone with young children knows there are times when their behavior is signaling a desperate need for a nap. Often the same could be said for us. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for your loved ones is to go take a nap, reset. As you drift off to sleep, thank the Lord for rest.
And those spinning plates? Think of all the people in the world seeking spiritual nourishment. We can’t give them nourishment that we don’t ourselves have. They care nothing about empty plates, no matter how well they are spinning. Do you feel as if you need permission to drop some plates and take a nap? Done! Go do it. You and your loved ones will be glad you did
About the Author
Andrea Johnson, a credentialed Open Bible minister, is the managing editor of the Message of the Open Bible. A graduate of Open Bible College with a major in theology/missions, she has edited and co-edited several books, including Servants of the Spirit: Portraits of Pentecostal Pioneers, We Believe: Core Truths for Christian Living, and We Believe for Kids! Her goal is to reveal Christ to those who are searching for Him. In her spare time you will most likely find Andrea enjoying time with family and friends or hiking. She and her husband, Dennis, are blessed with four children, three of whom are married, and eight grandchildren.
When I was in first grade, I attended William Carey Academy, a small private school in Pasadena, California, that primarily served the children of missionaries who were on home assignment. The school was on the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, a collaborative mission base, which meant that I got to learn alongside students and be taught by teachers who had traveled the world. One specific perk of this season was learning Spanish. My teacher was a missionary to Guatemala who had a passion for the language and the Guatemalan people.
While most of my Spanish has left me, my love for Hispanic nations, culture, and people has not. One of the most fun parts of my job as Message editor has been working with teammates like Mindy Khanthavixay (Mexican-American), Areli Estrada (originally from Mexico), and Ximena Urra (originally from Chile) all of whom are fluent in Spanish. Without these women, it would have not been possible to launch our fully translated Spanish issues of Message of the Open Bible. As our current issue of the magazine is being released in tandem with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), we would be remiss not to honor our many Hispanic coworkers, pastors, and ministry partners within Open Bible. We would not be who we are without you!
Open Bible is currently active in eighteen Spanish-speaking countries and has 556 churches within these countries. Our Hispanic Ministries within the states is also flourishing with twenty-eight churches across the nation, many of which are leading the charge in church multiplication. I am so excited for you to read the story of Melissa Alvarez, who is a second-generation Mexican American and a second-generation church planter. You will also love reading the testimony of Mary Lou Wolfe, who grew up in a Hispanic Open Bible church (Templo Santo in Antioch, California) and whose parents come from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mary Lou’s miraculous kidney transplant has made it possible for her to continue a vibrant ministry where she currently serves at Life Church in Concord, California.
In addition to these articles by Hispanic authors, don’t miss out on our other great articles, including a thoughtful reflection on modern discipleship by Gary Khan and
an important global missions update from Vince McCarty. And if you didn’t catch our special edition President’s Perspective article, you’ll want to read “The Power of We” by President Michael Nortune.
I am proud to be part of a movement that has honored and advocated for ministries in many languages, cultures, and nations. Let’s continue to celebrate every part of our Open Bible family as we fulfill the Great Commission together.
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the editor and director of Message of the Open Bible. She always wanted to do too many things when she grew up, and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate in equal measure.
My life was forever changed a few years ago when I read a book called The Insanity of God. Written by Nik Ripken, a missionary who has given his life to take Jesus to some of the darkest, most dangerous corners of the world, this book calls Western Christians out of the casual faith many of us enjoy. Ripken asks irritating, important questions like:
I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him.
“Does God really ask us to sacrifice everything?”
“Is God at work in the hard places, and does He expect us to join Him in those hard places?”
“Isn’t it possible to love God and to pretty much keep living the life I already have?”
Ripken freely admits that he doesn’t have answers to all these questions, but he challenges his readers to remember that following Jesus means saying “yes” even when it hurts.
“We have the high privilege of answering Jesus’ call to go,” Ripken says. “But let us be clear about this: we go on His terms, not ours.”
Reading this book felt like being shaken awake after a long sleep. I found myself convicted by how little of my life I had given up for Jesus and how resistant I was to become uncomfortable for Him. (How ironic that is, when He became incredibly uncomfortable for me.) I began offering up a new kind of desperate prayer, begging God to make my life matter. To make me willing to go anywhere, do anything.
Lord, let my life be a sacrifice.
That’s a dangerous prayer. It’s a prayer that has led to my saying “yes” to assignments and callings that scare me: serving as a staff pastor at my previous church, becoming the new editor of Message of the Open Bible, and most recently, uprooting my family from our home of twelve years and moving to another state to plant a church.
The comforting thing is, I’m not alone in trying to live this kind of radically obedient life. I stumblingly follow in the footsteps of the Hebrews 11 heroes of faith, who “obeyed and went” even when they didn’t know where they were going (vs 8, NIV). Heroes who “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised” but also “faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (vs 33-36). I walk alongside others in the Church and within Open Bible who are saying “yes” to difficult and daunting things. You’ll read about many of them in this issue, and I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by their stories.
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus.
In truth, none of us is alone when we say “yes” to a God-given assignment. Let’s not forget that directly after the biggest, scariest assignment was given to Jesus’ disciples, the one that would take them to the ends of the earth and would include hardship and suffering for many of them, they were also given this promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
To walk in obedience is to walk hand in hand with Jesus. That’s a reward worth even our most frightening “yes.”
About the Author
Hannah Bemis
Hannah Bemis currently serves as the Editor and Director of Message of the Open Bible. She’s always wanted to do too many things when she grows up and God has been kind enough to let her do most of them in different seasons. After seasons of mothering, teaching, writing, and staff pastoring, Hannah’s most recent adventure is planting College Street Church in Newberg, Oregon, with her husband, Jordan. After Jesus and all her favorite people, she spends the remainder of her passion on pizza and dark chocolate, in equal measure.
