Calm like Clancy

In my attempt to educate my children of rich Australian literature and the wonders of the Aussie outback and it’s heroes I recently purchased some illustrated works of Banjo Patterson. (Okay it wasn’t a completely selfless act. As soon as I saw the illustrations of a ringer on horseback chasing after a wild herd with stock whip in hand I really wanted them too!)

Aaaanyway…. I was meditating the other day on this verse from Mark 6: 31-32:

And he said “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

As soon as I read the verse a part of the poem ‘Clancy of the Overflow’ sprang to mind. Banjo writes as he is sitting in his “dingy little office” of the people he can hear outside and dreaming that he can swap with Clancy- who is ‘out bush’ droving cattle in a place of solitude. He writes:

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me. As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste. With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy- for townsfolk have no time to grow, they have not time to waste.

This verse really hit a chord in my heart and it stung. Although I don’t live in the hustle and bustle of the city there is definitely the same kind of hustle and bustle in my life (and the lives of my family). I often feel like (even though we’ve been blessed beyond all measure) life at times is dragging us about as we strive on for the next task… and we let it. I had the urge to scream out- “I want to be like Clancy!”

And yet- I can be. Even though at times it seems impossible- Jesus showed us how.

‘For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.’ How familiar does this sound? Can you relate to being so busy that you don’t even make time to eat and take care of yourself? Or perhaps you worry for someone close to you that has this problem. Jesus’ solution to this problem is to find a ‘desolate place’ and to spend time there by yourself.

Desolate means an uninhabited place of emptiness. To me this simply means a place with no distractions. No notifications. No interruptions from the kids. No phone calls or emails. No unpaid bills. No social media. No to-do lists. Seems impossible, right? Even just the thought of obtaining that space seems overwhelming to me at times!

I love the quote from Martin Luther: “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Can you imagine that?? It seems so unrealistic! But could you imagine having that kind of trust in the Lord? Knowing full well that if we take time out to be with him he will make a way for everything else to fall into place- not in our own strength but in HIS! Being able to trust him in the details of life so that we aren’t so frantic trying to get all the things done. Sounds pretty amazing, huh! Jesus lays it out pretty clearly. The first step is to INTENTIONALLY find a ‘desolate place’ to REGULARLY rest in him. Come to the Father and let him know what you need and receive his peace. If even finding this space and time feels to out of reach than simple ASK HIM. Ask God to provide it for you. He loves you and he wants this for you. Surely he will provide it for you if we are willing to be obedient and follow his guidance.

Psalm 126: 1-2: Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

What gets in the way of this? We allow our crazy schedule to distract us and steal the calmness- causing us to take our eyes off of him. This quickly slips into the need to control everything ourselves. Don’t get me wrong- it’s good to work ‘well’. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…” By all means I’m not suggesting its good to be slothful, unmotivated or procrastinate. But if your good work ethic turns into a life full of hustle and no space for rest we begin to work for our own motives and not to serve the Lord.

Work can easily turn into idolatry and pride. You can start to rely on your own achievements instead of the Lord’s provision. You can start to see yourself as better than others or your time worth more because you use it to be ‘productive’ and produce results. You can start to see your work as being more important than any other area of your life (or the people’s lives around you) and you can rely on your own achievements to find your sense of worth rather than relying on God’s provision and guidance in every single minute of your day. How often do we find ourselves in a Mary and Martha moment? Scowling at someone who isn’t working as hard as you… muttering under your breath at people dawdling in the car in front of you… Scoffing at someone taking time out… feeling like you need to hide it or have a good excuse if YOU decide to take time out… I know that’s been me.

Take a deep look into your heart. Do any of these situations seem familiar to you? I think they do for all of us. We are all prone to striving in our own strength and becoming puffed up with pride. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established”. (Proverbs 16:3) Commitment doesn’t happen in “rush and nervous haste” but in quietness and trust.

“And I somehow rather fancy that I’d like to change with Clancy”… while pouring through the pages with my kids as I read them the story of Clancy- calmly working and going about his day droving the cattle, it occurred to me that the hustle greatly affects our kids lives, too. It not only teaches them by example that we need to rely on our own striving and achievements to get by in life instead of God’s provision, but it causes us to be distracted parents who are rarely truly present. Driven by the clock. Easily angered when life (and the people in it) don’t conform to our plans.

I know that (even though it’s often the case) it’s not what I want my family life to look like and it’s not what God wants for us either. He wants us to blissfully take in all that he’s blessed us with in creation. He wants us to see the “sunlit plains extended”. He wants us to see the “wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars”. He wants to us to see the goodness of the nourishing food we so often scoff down in haste. He wants us to see each other.

I asked my kids- “Would you rather be Banjo in the office or Clancy out droving?” I think you can guess what their answer was… a resounding “CLANCY!”

Isn’t it good to know we don’t need to be kitted up with a saddle and good stock horse to enjoy this? We don’t need to have it all together. We don’t need to be frightened about failing in our pursuit for a balanced, ‘successful’ life. All we need is time with Jesus.