Hurkle-durkle

I learned a new phrase on Burns night – “hurkle-durkle” which is ideally to be said in a Scottish accent because that’s where it originates. Do you ever hurkle-durkle? I’ve been known to.

 Hurkle-durkling is going back to a cosy bed when you should be getting up and getting going. Tempting on winter mornings! But this week, I was glad that Gilby, my dog, pulled me out to marvel at a frosty sunrise.

 As I look at what Jesus says, it turns out that with one breath, he offers us rest and with the next, adventure. Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary” and then tells us to “Go into all the world!” As you read this, ask him which you need today.

 There is a time for rest, a time when snuggling under the duvet is an excellent option, but muscles atrophy if you lounge around too long. Paul writes, I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (Philemon v 6).

 There is a spiritual dynamic that means we won’t fully know Christ if we lapse into abject passivity. As I look back, the times I’ve felt most alive and seen God work most powerfully have been when I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone. I wonder if that is true for you? Visiting prisons is definitely not my comfort zone but it’s amazing to see God at work there. Just last week, I spoke in Hampshire and somehow knew I had to walk across the room to talk to a woman who had looked completely disengaged during my talk. It was an awkward walk but so worth it because she entrusted her life to Jesus that morning. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

Too often, I swing between drivenness and passivity when the Lord wants me to rising from rest into adventure, following his loving prompts. After all, the Lord who sends us is the same Lord who constantly tells us that he is our resting-place. Our God is no slave-driver – our God frees slaves.  He even made his prophet Elijah a hot cake and told him to lie down when he was tired.

 I love this picture of my dad – having a well-deserved rest after a busy morning on a family holiday. As ever, his Bible was in hand.

If that’s what you most need today, then come and find your rest in Jesus. But if you have had enough hurkle-durking, then ask the Lord to send you out for his glory.  He has adventures for you – wild prayers for you to pray, people for you to bless and places for you to go.

 Rest and adventure – Jesus offers both.