Is there an upside to discontent?
Standing in the lobby of a restaurant, I stare at an aquarium while I wait. We just came from a memorial service, and my thoughts and spirit are the usual jumbled, complex mess after such a sobering gathering. I watch the fish swim, flashes of color in constant motion. They are, somehow, comforting.
Funny how that works.
I am a restless guy. I admit it. I’ll even own up to the label of fidgety. And lately, I’ve been wondering if that is only a negative trait. Or if there might be a positive side to it.
It’s clear in Scripture that restlessness is a negative. The ocean’s ceaseless movement represents the churning chaos of unbelief. It is a picture of how disorder relentlessly seeks to overcome God’s good creation.
God’s enemy, The Accuser, drives that unceasing agitation. In the opening scene of Job, when he arrives, The Satan is asked where he has been. His answer, in our vernacular, is “Here and there.”
He cannot keep still in his search of ways to undo God’s work.
Peter also points to this agitation, saying that Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Restlessness that continually unsettles us is clearly not of God.
But is there holy restlessness? I think there is. The Spirit at times unsettles us with an intent to move us toward Jesus. When we’re satisfied to stay where we are, he nudges us to keep going.
We’re also meant to do this for each other:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good work.” (Heb.10:24)
The verb for “stir up” is fascinating. It generally had a negative meaning of provoke. Literally, it meant to poke someone in order to get a response. But the writer uses it for a positive end, as judged by the various translations – to motivate, spur, encourage, stimulate.
Restlessness that pushes us heavenward is clearly of God.
There is a restlessness that settles us. Look at all the photos in this post. What do they have in common?
They’re all calming things. Ocean waves, streams, clouds, even fish in an aquarium provide a kind of peacefulness. Years ago, listening to a news program, I heard of research which examined this experience. It showed that humans seem to be attracted to scenes of constant motion within an unchanging framework.
It makes sense. After all, we have an immutable God who fashioned an ever-changing creation.
So, I suppose I need to examine my restlessness. Is it within a larger, eternal framework? Or is it purposeless provoking, and endless dissatisfaction, a seeking without an intent to find?
For the direction of this agitation determines its source.
Father, is our restlessness of you? If not, teach us to ignore the voice of the Agitator. But if it is the work of your Spirit, use it to move us forward, toward your Son.
Reader: What does holy restlessness look like in your life?
Email me at: bvanpatter@ailbe.org. Is there someone you think would like this post? Please use the buttons above to share it. And if you haven’t subscribed and would like to, here’s the link.
