Bend the Bow

A hunter in the desert once saw Abba Anthony (the ancient desert father, not Anthony Celia :) enjoying himself with the brethren, and he was shocked.

Wanting to teach him, the old man said, “Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it.” So he did.

Then he said, “Shoot another.” And he did.

Then he said, “Shoot yet again.”

The hunter replied, “If I bend my bow so much, I will break it.”

And the old man said, “It is the same with the work of God. If we stretch the brethren beyond measure, they will soon break.”

I have been thinking about that line.

I am the brethren. You are the brethren. We are sisters and brothers in Christ, loved by God and called into His work in the world.

And sometimes, if we are honest, we are stretched beyond measure.

We keep going.
We keep carrying.
We keep producing.
We keep trying.

And slowly, quietly, we begin to bend.

Not always because the work is bad.
Often, because the work is good.

But even good work, done without rest, can become a weight we were never meant to carry alone.

Anthony the Great, the monk behind this story, gave his life to prayer, simplicity, and seeking God in the desert. His life looked very different from ours.

Most of us are not called to the desert. We are called to homes, offices, classrooms, churches, neighborhoods, and everyday responsibilities.

We are called to be salt and light.
We are called to love our neighbor.
We are called to do our work unto the Lord.

And still, we are not called to live as if everything depends on us.

A few days ago, in this new season of ministry, I hit a breaking point.

I was moving too fast. My heart was racing. My mind was spinning. I could feel the pressure rising in my body, mind, and soul.

I’m okay now. But I needed the moment.

It was a mercy.

A mercy that reminded me to return.

To return to God’s pace.
To return to prayer.
To return to the truth that I am not the Savior.

To be with Him before I go and do for Him.

So maybe this is your invitation today too:

PAUSE.

PUT DOWN the work.

PAUSE and remember who you are in Christ—chosen, loved, redeemed.

PAUSE and receive the peace of God before you pick everything back up again.

PAUSE long enough to hear the Father’s voice over your life.

PICK UP the slower and burdenless way of Jesus.

PAUSE long enough to let your soul come back to life.

PAUSE long enough to remember: the world keeps spinning because God is sustaining it, not because you are.

So yes, let’s work hard. But do not stretch yourself beyond measure.

Bend the bow wisely, don’t break it.

Reference to story: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers