Holy Restlessness
The ancient religious writers often identified a virtue they called “holy
restlessness.” It was a concept that often became lost in monasticism but needs
to be “restored.”
Certainly, there is a kind of restlessness that is not productive. Becoming
occupied with something only long enough to find a level of boredom, then moving
to another activity before completing the first, etc. Performance and excellence
is not achieved or enjoyed when we never settle down to good tasks and see them
through. This common restlessness can become a way of life and rob us of
blessings that flow from good work (see Matt. 13:21, “only for a while”.)
There may be another kind of restlessness that holds some value. Not willing to
relax deeply and lovingly into comfortable routines; anxious to find good new
methods; working our way from complacency to zeal and diligence and excellence –
is a type of restlessness that can spur good work for the Lord. This might be
called a healthy or holy restlessness that propels us to the next good thing we
ought to be doing. Perhaps we should ask God to help us defeat the destructive
restlessness and help us find this holy restlessness of good conscience and
zeal.
“…not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving
the Lord,” (Rom. 12:11).
By Warren E. Berkley
The Front Page
From Expository Files 17.3; March 2010
