This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. – Deuteronomy 32:51

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 1, 2012): Deuteronomy 32

We have become an accomplishment driven culture. So much of our self worth depends on what it is that we can finish. I think that is why being busy has become a virtue in our society. But that is a total reversal from the aims of spiritual leaders only a few centuries ago. Then, it was unbusyness that was valued – and sought after as the only way that we could hear the voice of God - and so spiritual leaders regularly emptied their calendars just so that they could be unbusy and hear the voice of God more clearly.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to sit down with an older Pastor who had just moved. Eventually the conversation came around to his move, which was basically from one side of the continent to other – a move of more than 3000 miles. So I asked him why he had made the transition. If I was expecting him to tell me that he felt God telling him to leave his church or, conversely, that there had been a level of discomfort and conflict in his former church that made staying hard, I would be disappointed. He pointed to neither of these things as the reason for the change. What he did say was that sometimes your schedule gets so busy that the only thing you can do is to opt to go somewhere else. The simplification of life does not last long, but it does last a little while, long enough to give you a break and allow you to catch your breath. At the time I thought it was quite a drastic step just so that you could be unbusy.

As long as we are accomplishment driven, our badge of honor will be that we are busy. We may phrase it differently, but we will continually point at all the things that we are involved in – and all of the things that we have done. The cry of the accomplishment driven culture is ‘look at me.’ That was the temptation that Moses had fallen into in the desert of Zin. When Israel cried out for water, he had grabbed the attention of nation by getting water for them rather than pointing at God. And because of that moment in history, his journey would end on the borders of the Promised Land rather than in the midst of it.

We need to come to the understanding that God is at the heart of all of our accomplishments. Spiritual leaders of the past understood that as the strove to be unbusy. It was only then that they could take their accomplishments in stride by saying to those around them – look at Him!

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 33