I found the quote below some time ago, and it has always stuck with me:
“Sleep, for me, is a daily reminder that I am far from self-sufficient. Let me put it this way: I have a desperate, irreversible, physiological need to spend a substantial portion of every twenty-four hours in a state of mental and physical incapacity, utterly helpless and completely useless. Is this not comical? God then uses this time to strengthen and restore me for another day – a day in which I will invariably fail to obey Him fully, yet by grace He will somehow redeem my actions to produce a measure of fruitfulness. How can this not be humbling?” (C.J. Mahaney, in Thomas J. Ascol, ed: Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, p. 133)
I had never looked at sleep that way before. What makes this insight so compelling, I think, is that Mahaney takes something so ordinary and mundane like sleep and finds the glory of God in it.
This practice is worthy of imitation, I think. And it raises an important, and broader, lesson. We joyfully confess that God created us – that humanity is no accident, that we are not the result of an undirected natural process but that we are crafted and shaped according to the will of God. After all, in the creation of man, God literally “got his hands dirty” and shaped and molded Adam out of the dirt. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as David put it, and this is so for a purpose. God made us who and what we are so that we would give him eternal glory.
Ponder that! We are made for his glory. It can become a cliché, something we readily repeat but don’t really grasp. Christians struggle with this truth like the rest of the world, even though we have even less of an excuse. Take an example: many Christian men hit the gym and work out regularly. What’s wrong with that? Nothing in and of itself; after all, Paul did concede that physical training has “some value.” But these men need to be honest with themselves: what’s the motivation? Why are you doing this? Have you deliberately examined your intentions and desires the way you’ve examined your diet and physique? Have you given the same attention to planning how your routine will exalt God as you did the schedule and reps and diet and circuit in the gym? In all too many cases, it’s the desire to impress others, to look good in front of others. And so what could have been good becomes sin, because it’s not done for the glory of God but for the glory of man.
Another example: Christian women are warned by Peter to find their adornment in the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit, rather than in outward adornment. Again, the issue is not that earrings or necklaces or nice shirts are wrong per se. It’s the motivation. If you’re a woman, why do you dress the way you do? When you get ready for the day, why are you spending the time you do? Have you given some conscious thought and prayer to your motivations and intentions? Is what you do in front of the mirror something self-consciously done to the glory of God? Is it merely enough to be modest, or is God concerned with more than just if enough skin is covered?
Let me make my point again, so there’s no confusion. The issue I’m raising is not whether it’s right to work out or wear a necklace. The issue is motivation, and more specifically, whether we are deliberate and intentional when we look at everyday, mundane things like that.
God is concerned with the details. Just read Leviticus sometime and you’ll see that! So this week, take some time to examine the everyday things of your life: your routine, your leisure activities, your plans. Ask yourself if you are as deliberately mindful of how they relate to God’s glory, to worship as an attitude and everyday practice, as they ought to be.
Are you seeking God’s glory in the mundane? A challenge for us all.