Sisi Lain dari Rutinitas

Setiap orang hidup dalam rutinitas. Dan setiap orang dapat menceritakan kegiatan rutinnya, walaupun dengan sikap yang berbeda-beda. Ada yang merasa terjebak, frustrasi, bosan dan sebagian kecil menceritakan dengan semangat.

 

Saya pernah mencoba menulis jurnal harian yang menuliskan kegiatan saya sehari
-hari, hal yang disyukuri dan didoakan. Ternyata tidak mudah menuliskan jurnal harian seperti ini. Dari penulisan ini terlihat betapa rutinnya hidup yang saya jalani. Setiap hari saya melakukan dan menuliskan hal yang sama. Tetapi dari pengalaman ini saya terbuka untuk melihat sisi lain dari rutinitas. Rutinitas adalah hal yang patut disyukuri. Kalau tidak bisa mensyukuri rutinitas, tentu sulit bagi kita “mengucap syukur dalam segala hal...” (Efesus 5:20).

 

 Pengkhotbah 3:11 mengatakan “Ia membuat segala sesuatu indah pada waktunya, bahkan Ia memberikan kekekalan dalam hati mereka. Tetapi manusia tidak dapat menyelami pekerjaan yang dilakukan Allah dari awal sampai akhir.” Tuhan membuat segala sesuatu indah pada waktunya. Apa yang bisa dilihat sebagai keindahan dari suatu rutinitas?

 

Setiap manusia hidup dalam rutinitas dan berangan-angan untuk keluar darinya. Saya, akhirnya masuk ke dalam fase kehidupan di luar rutinitas, di mana kegiatan setiap hari berbeda dan harus disusun ulang setiap hari. Tidak ada yang komplain dengan kita, tidak ada deadline, tidak ada jam kerja, dan tidak ada yang mem”supervisi” kita. Bisakah kita membayangkan bagaimana hidup seperti ini? Bukankah akhirnya kita juga akan mencari-cari cara untuk masuk dalam rutinitas baru? At the end, kita harus mengakui bahwa, rutinitas adalah suatu hal yang baik untuk mengarahkan hidup kita untuk terus mengerjakan suatu hal yang bermanfaat. Kata “terus mengerjakan” itulah ketekunan, dan ketekunan hanya dapat dikerjakan secara rutin.

 

Apa yang indah dari rutinitas adalah bahwa:

 

1.     Pada tingkat yang paling dasar, rutinitas menyanggah hidup kita, bahkan bagi penganggur tingkat tinggi, yaitu makan dan minum. Tanpa makan dan minum secara rutin, maka kita akan mati kelaparan.

2.     Pada tingkat yang lebih tinggi, rutinitas adalah arena kita melatih ketekunan dan ketahanan. Bagaimana kita “terus mengerjakan” sesuatu yang harus kita kerjakan. Kita tidak berhenti karena disepelekan, kita tidak berhenti karena dikecilkan hatinya, kita tidak berhenti karena terlalu susah, kita tidak berhenti hanya karena gaji yang rendah dan penghargaan yang minim, dan kita tidak berhenti, karena kita tahu bahwa apa yang kita kerjakan membangun hidup orang lain.

3.     Di tingkat yang lain, rutinitas adalah arena kita mengerjakan dengan tekun apa yang Tuhan ingin kita kerjakan. Jadi, kita melihat rutinitas sebagai kesempatan. Kesempatan yang Tuhan berikan kepada setiap orang untuk ikut mengambil bagian mengerjakan sesuatu, bukan dengan waktu yang pendek (part time) dan setengah hati (half heart) tetapi dengan waktu yang panjang (full time) dan dengan sepenuh hati (full heart).

4.     Dalam tingkat yang lain lagi, melalui kegiatan rutin kita dapat menghasilkan buah yang kekal. Dengan investasi waktu kerja yang panjang, kita dapat mengerjakan sesuatu yang penting dan bermakna. Keyakinan ini akan membuat kita mengerjakan segala sesuatu dengan penuh semangat, penuh kasih, penuh harapan atas keberhasilan dari yang kita kerjakan, dan dengan taste yang tinggi pula.

 

Dengan demikian, melihat keindahan rutinitas bukan terfokus pada “Ia membuat segala sesuatu indah pada waktunya” tetapi waktunya dimulai dari pemahaman kita bahwa apa yang kita kerjakan bernilai kekal. Dengan pemikiran ini, maka kita akan bersenang dalam rutinitas kita, dari saat kita memulai, saat kita mengerjakan, dan saat kita menyelesaikannya dengan sukacita di dalam kekekalan,”Yang penting di sini ialah ketekunan orang-orang kudus, yang menuruti perintah Allah dan iman kepada Yesus. Dan aku mendengar suara dari sorga berkata: Tuliskan: "Berbahagialah orang-orang mati yang mati dalam Tuhan, sejak sekarang ini." "Sungguh," kata Roh, "supaya mereka boleh beristirahat dari jerih lelah mereka, karena segala perbuatan mereka menyertai mereka.” (Wahyu 14:12-13).

 

Yang perlu direnungkan adalah, apa yang kita kerjakan dalam waktu yang panjang, di dalam rutinitas kita? Apakah kita yakin sedang mengerjakan apa yang Tuhan senang kita kerjakan, atau kita merasa sia-sia dan terjebak? Biarlah masing-masing kita merenungkan apa yang sedang kita kerjakan dalam keseharian kita.

 

Semoga kita terus bersukacita dan bertekun di dalam rutinitas kita.

 

Selamat berkarya bagi kemuliaan-Nya.

 

15/06/09

 

The Rythm of God in the Time of Pandemic

 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Also He has put eternity in their hearts,

except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

- Ecclesiastes 3:11 -

 

Rhythm is a song that is carefully composed by the creator, whether it is a song that creates a beautiful hum, or a poetry that produce stunning tones and stresses to be enjoyed.

 

Everyone wants to have a wonderful time in his life. They try various ways, some try to please themselves, some try to please the people they love, but the truth is that life is not always as smooth as it seems. Not always the efforts put in, either for himself or for others, yield the same results as desired. There are many disappointments, restlessness, bitterness, miseries that make human life anything but beautiful. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. All human movements are restricted. Everyone is recommended to stay at home. Everyone gets stressed, some even get depressed, because, in addition to having limited space, they also experience losses, whether they are jobs, the loss of loved ones, failed plans, etc. This dire situation is sweeping the world. It was as if the whole world, with various countries in it, stopped moving. Is God also stopping at work? Of course not, on the contrary, this pandemic condition fulfills what is written in the Bible:

 

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

-Proverbs 19:21-

 

We see that how great and powerful a person, a company/institution, or even a country cannot fight something that is so small, even invisible, that God allows to happen, namely the coronavirus. GOD IS GREAT !!!

 

At this point, we may try to understand the greatness of God. However, if we want to think in terms of the beauty of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is completely undesirable, and that God makes everything beautiful in its time, then one of the questions that arise is:

 

What is beautiful in this time of pandemic?

 

 

Of course, it is not easy to answer the question above. Especially if we imagine those who are affected by this condition.

 

While thinking about this question, the author remembered a weak woman named Mary Magdalene. What happened was, at that time, all the followers of the Lord Jesus were told by the Lord Jesus Himself that He would be handed over to the rulers, that He would be tortured, and that He would be crucified.

 

This announcement of the Lord Jesus was like a thunder in the daytime. How could this be? The disciples had left everything to follow Him. And, at that time, their ministry was under the leadership of the Lord Jesus - their Teacher was in great shape. They felt that their sacrifice in following the Lord Jesus would soon be paid off. They would become famous, have their respective positions with all the advantages. However, the Lord Jesus will be crucified? No way ... That's why Peter rebuked the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus rebuked him harshly, even calling him a devil (Matthew 16:23). What Peter was worried about is perfectly understandable. Other than thinking about their own future, which student has the heart to experience such a thing? This is too cruel.

 

 

What would happen was a situation or disaster that the students did not want. They were sad and they tried to block it, like what Peter did. However, during this time, there was one person, and the only one who "clicked with" (correctly understood) God's intentions. That person was Mary Magdalene. Because of her sharp understanding of God's timing, she did an unusual action, namely she anointed the Lord Jesus' feet with very expensive oil. Everyone didn't understand the meaning of her actions and scolded him. Only Jesus understood, and Jesus made known its meaning, which was this act as preparation for His burial. (John 12: 1-8)

 

 

Mary followed God very carefully in listening and understanding His Word, that's why even though everyone listened to God's Word, only Mary was sensitive, that God's time was almost here, and she had to prepare something for His death. I believe Mary was very sad, but she had to do something to send Him off. And, his deeds are remembered by all believers to this day.

 

When included in the rhythm of a song or poetry, this period is a time with a sad rhythm, or a low pitch. Unlike the rhythm of His birth, which was so lively, or the rhythm of His exuberant ministry, this was the rhythm of His death.

 

Each of us can understand the beautiful rhythm when He was born, which is connecting eternity with mortality, so that mortal humans have the hope of entering into eternity.

 

We can also understand the beautiful rhythm of His ministry, He taught, He did miracles, a sign of the presence of the Divine in this world.

 

But, what was good about His death which was about to happen? His death was nothing beautiful if, it was just an ordinary death, but it became beautiful and had to be prepared for, because His death was related to eternity, namely to atone for human sins, and so that everyone who believed in Him may have the eternal life. Also, if His death had not occurred, His coming to earth would be in vain.

 

That's why, Mary, even though she was sad, she prepared by anointing Him. Even though the condition at that time was almost impossible for her to do, and she was scolded by the "great" people around her, however, she did it because she knew the meaning of eternity in the death of the Lord Jesus. She, and she alone is the only person who has had the opportunity to do this very precious and always remembered thing. Because she knows to follow the rhythm of the Lord Jesus.

 

This is not the rhythm of birth, not the rhythm of service, but the rhythm of death. And, all rhythms are beautiful, valuable, and are a momentum.

 

 

 

Want to do something momentum?

 

Get to know and follow God's rhythm.

 

Getting back to our current situation, what momentum is this? What is God trying to do in the 213 countries that have been stricken with Covid-19? (see worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/)

 

We don't know. However, if we can be sure that there is a big project that God is working on. Because this project was so big, God had to involve so many people.

 

Everyone has their own part to participate in. Every believer is a puzzle piece to complete God's huge project. Anyone who can find the pieces of the puzzle, he will experience the beauty of following God's rhythm during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he will do something momentum.

 

If we want to do something momentum, like Mary Magdalene, may God's Word through Solomon guide us: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

 

Let's try to dive deep into God's work. This pandemic will pass only as a pandemic/plague/disaster if it has nothing to do with eternity. Let me encourage all of us to reflect on each of our own conditions and answer these two questions: (I deliberately put the question regarding eternity first)

 In our respective situations and conditions:

 

1. What is the relationship between the immortality we experience in our situation, and the conditions of Covid-19?

 

2. What open opportunities (beauty) can you do at this time, to fulfill answer number 1, which you can't do if you are not on Covid-19?

 

 

I hope this article is useful for you.

 

If you’d like to comment, you can click "post a comment", and if you choose "anonymous", kindly please state your name at the end of the comment.

 

 God bless you all.