My small group has been reading the first psalm every day for the last three weeks. This psalm opens the book with a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The blessed are described as those who delight in the law of the Lord, while the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1:3 paints a picture of the righteous:
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it’s fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.”
As I meditated on this verse, I realized I was unconsciously inserting my own word:
“…which yields it’s fruit in (every) season…”
That one word revealed a lot about what I believe fruitfulness should look like. Because shouldn’t I always be producing so others can benefit? Shouldn’t I keep pushing to meet needs, keep hustling, keep sacrificing, keep proving? How can I be righteous if there’s not a constant display of fruit always at the ready?
But here’s the thing – no one expects apple trees to bear fruit in December or flowers to bloom in February. Trees don’t produce without ceasing, and neither can we. We were not created as little factories, endlessly churning out production. Yet, that’s what I expect of myself.
The Spirit has used three weeks in Psalm 1 to reshape my idea of fruitfulness:
Fruitfulness ≠ a calendar packed out month after month
Fruitfulness ≠ adding another side hustle
Fruitfulness ≠ two coffees, an Alani, & a Dr. Pepper to keep up with the day’s list
Fruitfulness ≠ doing it all myself to play the world’s savior
Fruitfulness ≠ a constant display of perfection
Don’t get me wrong, I love to rest—but instead of prioritizing it as part of my righteousness, I treat it as something to be earned. Once my much too long to-do list is wrapped up in a pretty bow, then I’ll finally get rest as my reward. But the list never ends. As it continually grows longer, rest becomes more and more out of reach.
Our Father is not a boss demanding endless work before approving time off. He doesn’t expect a constant output from exhausted and overworked saints. Instead, he commands the righteous to rest. He demonstrates rest himself. The never-tiring Creator of the universe chooses rest and invites us to join him in it.
We are the righteous and the blessed and the fruitful not because of our efforts but our dependence on our Father. We get to join him in our seasons of work and our seasons of rest. What a joy! Psalm 1 reminds us that rest is not in opposition to good works. Maybe those who choose to practice rest really do yield the best fruit.
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