Last week, I was at the beautiful Launde Abbey, meeting earlier in the week with a group of pioneering folks from all over the UK whom God had given a regional vision to, and latterly, with pioneers and practitioners close to Launde. It was a time of encouragement as we shared story after story of what God was up to. One of the phrases that became a bit of a ‘thing’ over this time was “finding God in the faffing about.”
According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘faffing’ is a verb which implies ‘ineffectual activity.’ This might imply a waste of time, but we were using the phrase in the context of encountering the Holy Spirit in the ordinary, everyday moments as we made time to dwell and be present in our communities rather than intentionally ‘doing’ something. All of us gathered wanted to be intentional about sharing Jesus and seeing those we love and live amongst encounter Him; nevertheless, we were very much aware of God simply turning up in the moments where perhaps we were not so intentional.
Those who are recognised and released into pioneering can have a lot of expectations placed on them to be productive, especially if the role involves some funding. We are living through a time that some call ‘the great resignation’, a phenomenon that began in early 2021 and saw higher-than-expected numbers of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs. This also showed up in the church, with many leaving voluntary roles, with anecdotal evidence pointing to a 30% decline in volunteers. Unfortunately, we have not adjusted well as churches to this shift with many attempts to keep doing everything we previously did. Indeed, it sometimes feels like the institutions are increasing the demands on those in paid roles, extracting more value from their work. Here is not the place to discuss such topics other than to say that the work of pioneers and practitioners is often multifactorial; there is not necessarily a single task in which output can be measured, but multiple roles with shifting workloads. Spending an afternoon listening to a lonely, older adult who is somewhat vulnerable and scared about the future could be deemed a lack of productivity, but what if we began to look at the gift of availability as the primary component of our role? What if we accepted alongside this that God is often found in the faffing about?
Our institutions, with shrinking resources, appear to have focused on efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, which, if I am honest, do not seem to be words I would ascribe to the Holy Spirit. The ever-decreasing pie is getting cut into thinner and thinner slices, and often, the metrics of numerical growth are needed to justify any financial support or grant. Please don’t misunderstand me; numbers can be helpful, but surely the most authentic measures of ‘success’ (I don’t like the word) are qualitative, not quantitative—for instance, a deeper faithfulness in following Christ or deeper, transformative relationships with our neighbours.
Is our hurry and busyness in an attempt to generate a measurable metric preventing us from finding God in the faffing? Put simply, are we just too busy?
In a helpful reflection from Lisa Rowell, she notes this:
Jesus wasn’t in a hurry to start His earthly ministry. He wasn’t in a hurry to wake up from His nap even when His boat encountered a storm that scared the most experienced fishermen on board. He wasn’t in a hurry to get to Lazarus even when He knew that His dear friend was dying. Jesus wasn’t in a hurry to keep walking to the next town even though people needed Him there. Jesus slowed down to rest. He slowed down to spend time with His Father. He slowed down to invite His disciples to rest with Him. When Jesus felt tired, He slowed down to take a break.
One verse you will not find in any of the Gospels is, “…and Jesus was busy.”
When I’m less rushed, I can hear God’s voice, get God’s guidance, and feel God’s joy and peace. When I operate from this place, it allows me to be more fully present and grateful. I also find myself less self-centred and emotionally reactive to my circumstances; I find God in the faffing.
Modern paraphrases of familiar Bible verses can be helpful insomuch that they can bring a freshness and vibrancy to our understanding. A single verse from Jeremiah has done just that for me.
“Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?”
Jeremiah 2:25a [The Message]
And so, I invite you to join with those of us who met at Launde Abbey last week and open yourself to finding God in the faffing of your everyday.
Simon Mattholie CEO, Rural Ministries