{"id":33459,"date":"2023-10-17T04:40:12","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T11:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33459"},"modified":"2023-10-17T10:40:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T17:40:32","slug":"enough-is-enough-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/enough-is-enough-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Enough is Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

\u201cThe unexamined life is not worth living.\u201d The famous quote by Socrates, points us to the value of reflection on our lived experience, past and present. Each of us have first-hand experience with evangelicalism as well as living in a capitalist society. Whether we\u2019ve ever thought about it or not, we are affected by both systems and perhaps in ways that go far beyond the obvious. That seems worth examining.

As Max Weber and Jason Clark would seem to agree, evangelicalism has an intertwined and tricky relationship with capitalism. Is Weber correct when he asserts that this relationship grows out of Calvinist thinking on predestination? In his view, the accumulation of wealth became a sign that one belonged to the \u201celect.\u201d Thus, a strong work ethic and the pursuit of personal wealth became highly valued and, in a way, equated with the pursuit of God\u2019s favor. [1] Or is Clark correct when he moves the conversation away from assurance of faith toward God\u2019s providence? [2]

Whatever a Christian\u2019s motivation, we can safely say that a solid work ethic is honoring to God. In terms of Christian virtue, we would call this \u201cdiligence,\u201d and the Bible is full of exhortation to grow in diligence.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (NIV): “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.”<\/em>

Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV): “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”<\/em>

Proverbs 13:4 (NIV): “A sluggard\u2019s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”<\/em>

Marvin Oxenham wrote a particularly wonderful epistolatory novel about teaching followers of Jesus to develop their character and become more virtuous. He defines diligence as a \u201czealous attention to one\u2019s actions and work. It includes a work ethic, a wise use of one\u2019s time and a sense of duty.\u201d [3] However, as Oxenham points out, every virtue taken to its extreme becomes a vice (the exception being love). For example, it\u2019s not difficult to imagine a strong work ethic slipping into workaholism. Oxenham additionally warns against the vices of obsessive-compulsive tendencies and overly controlling attitudes stemming from excessive diligence. The antidote, he says, is practicing rest \u201cfor diligence is also about resting well and enjoying the goodness of life.\u201d [4]

The space I have left in the blog post is not enough to develop a robust theology of rest. [5] Regardless, this lesson is embedded deep in my soul. I grew up a bit outside of typical evangelicalism; my family attended a Church of the Brethren, and I was educated in Mennonite schools. The anabaptist traditions and values were prevalent in our area, as was a certain lifestyle that comes with rural, farming communities. Needless to say, hard work was the norm.

Just as fish can\u2019t see the water they swim in, children don\u2019t see their family\u2019s peculiarities. It wasn\u2019t until I was married (and thought my husband was a bit lazy because he wanted to relax on the weekends!) that I began to see how unbalanced my lifestyle was. I say \u201cbegan\u201d because the journey was long, and I am still on it. I have come to understand two important things about godly, holy rest in my life.

Firstly, there is value in rest because it is where God re-creates us. The word \u201crecreation\u201d is often synonymous with rest or leisure and it\u2019s a word that I hold to tightly. In times of intentional rest (which usually means not just turning on Netflix or doing something mindless, but truly being intentional) God re-creates and re-news me. I walk away from intentional rest as a new and refreshed person.

Secondly, my tendency to overwork was really about control vs. trust. I was conditioned to work in order to control my circumstances. I was brought up to work hard and to avoid depending on others and certainly to never ask for help. Self-sufficiency was a key value in my family of origin, which now saddens me because, in fact, the core of the gospel is that we are not sufficient for ourselves.

In this journey of learning to rest, God has often challenged me to rely on Him alone to be sufficient. Just as Israel had to learn in the desert when the manna fell, God always provides enough for today. For the Israelites that meant enough food. For me, the challenge is usually to accept that God has provided enough time in my day, enough energy to do my work, and that when He calls me away to rest, I can trust that what I have done is enough.

_____________<\/p>\r\n

[1] Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,<\/em> accessed September 24, 2023, https:\/\/www.marxists.org\/reference\/archive\/weber\/protestant-ethic\/ch04.htm#a<\/a>. Chapter IV.<\/p>\r\n

[2] Clark, Jason. Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship. London School of Theology, 2018. 101.<\/p>\r\n

[3] Marvin Oxenham, Character and Virtue in Theological Education: An Academic Epistolary Novel<\/em>. (Langham Global Library, 2019). Kindle location 5164.<\/p>\r\n

[4] Ibid. Kindle location 5164.<\/p>\r\n

[5] For any who are interested, I commend to you this discussion entitled “In Defense of Leisure, Play, Fun and Amusement<\/a>“. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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