Are You Minding Your Business?

A Few Words About Busy Hands

Yesterday, I picked, snapped, and canned 13 quarts of green beans.
And that’s it.
Nothing else, because, you see, those are jobs that require both hands. When my muck boots are solidly planted between rows 3 and 4 in the bean patch, both of my hands are busy ransacking the plants for every last bean. And I can’t snip the ends off all those beans with a knife and also write a newsletter or vacuum the living room floor at the same time.

It took some work to convince myself that this degree of focus is a good thing. Then I remembered that the Apostle Paul backs me up on the premise. His advice to the fledgling church in Thessalonica went like this:

“Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11)

We’ve come so far afield from this wisdom. Living in our cerebral, disembodied era (hello, VR gaming friends!), we’re shocked to be reminded that the first person God ever decided to fill “with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship” was not a prophet, priest, or king. It was Bezalel, a skilled craftsman who worked with his hands in the creation of the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-3).

I’m grateful for the work that requires me to use my hands and mind my own business. Handwriting a note to my kids at camp, flipping pancakes and making cookies, folding laundry and putting it away in drawers: these are all embodied tasks that keep me close to the people I love and close to the quiet life I so easily lose touch with when I’ve said “yes” to too many things.

Having said all that, it’s time for my hands to move on to another task, so my letter will be mercifully short this month. What’s something you’re doing this summer that requires your full attention? Do you find it easier to “mind your own affairs” when your hands are busy doing what’s yours to do? Let’s talk about that in the comments…

Another Radio Interview!

It was so much fun to talk with Martha Manikas-Foster on Family Life Radio! Our conversation centered around the search for a church that feels like home—and how to practice “pew hospitality” if you happen to be settled in a church and on the greeting end of the equation. Click the button below to listen in…

And One More Thing…

I’m studying and preparing to serve the women of Lisbon Falls Baptist Church once again at their fall retreat (September 22-24)! Our topic this year is “Pray Like a Disciple,” and we’ll be diving into Jesus’s show-and-tell method of teaching in his model prayer. If you would be willing to pray for my preparation while your hands are busy doing what you do, I’d be most grateful!

Holding You in the Light,

And as always, please share the letter with anyone who might be interested in reading along!

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