By Pastor Rodney Tilley
Every day on the news we are bombarded about some group, whether ethnic or political, and we are chastised if we do not make every one of them equal. Equal pay for equal work, equality for gorillas, sexual equality, and the list goes on and on. But in all this talk of politics I decided to write about something that is neither Republican nor Democrat, neither male nor female, and not equal in any sense. I have decided to write about the “Brits,” or the English as some say. They do share a common language for most Americans, but that is about it. They drive on the left. They eat horrid food, and the Queen, well; she is still learning how to wave. They have “intelligent” accents, and are still learning to spell; remember color and colour. But the biggest difference some say is not the accent, nor the miles of ocean between us, but as some have pointed out, it is the work ethic. I know this may have been true in the past, but I am not sure if it is now, but for argument sake it is stated as follows: “The Brits work to live, while Americans live to work.”
We work, we neglect our kids, go at it 24/7, and then die at a young age with a heart attack. I must admit I too sometimes fall into this trap of finding my worth in what I do, instead of who I am. I think that my work is of the utmost to me and only in working do I find significance.
But if that is the only area of merit where you find worth and meaning, you might become like Solomon in the Bible where he says, “I hate life….and I hated everything I have accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can’t take it with me…” (Ecc 2).
Today with all this talk of the economy, the stock market, money, and who is the richest, you should look again at the man who wrote the paragraph above, for he, Solomon, had vast riches, hundreds of wives, armies, and power, and yet he felt internally lost. What he needed, money could not buy, and Solomon proclaimed it was “smoke and spitting into the wind.” (Ecc.2).
There is just a void that exists that work, play, vice, virtue, nationality, or political party cannot fill. It is this “God shaped vacuum” that must be dealt with and addressed that even the work ethic cannot satisfy.
Paul in the Bible was right when he told the Greeks that “In him (God), we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28a). It is not a Greek thing, or a British thing, it is a God thing, for he knew only God can supply our wants and needs, and only in Him do we find meaning.
So take a rest, look inside, and spend some time not working, but instead take time with your creator, Jesus. In fact, as the Brits would say, by-jove, if you like it, get cracking with God, and have a darling time with your maker. (I still need a little work on my British accent)
For more information on getting to know God and his purpose for your life, call: Pastor Rodney Tilley at 432-207-0015.
