Rest

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it…Heb 4:1 

Whether we define REST as a verb or a noun, it is an act of TRUST when it comes to the Lord.  Do we trust His promise to bless us for obedience? When He said to work for six days and then rest on the seventh, will we receive the blessing that our rest in Him will provide?

This is the question that the Lord raised with me –again- recently.  Rest is about Trust.  Sabbath is about Surrender. 

Why do I struggle with this so?

For one, it is not in our culture to STOP and rest.  Our vacations are filled to the maximum level of activity and recreational fun and frenzy to the degree that we need a vacation to get over our vacations!!! But that aint gonna happen!  So we press on and wonder why we are striving to produce, achieve and accomplish in the work place. 

During a recent creative session at the Allume Conference, Carey Bailey led us in a childlike activity that turned out to be inspiration and relaxing for those of us who participated.  For a brief thirty minutes or so, we tore paper, pasted with our fingers, painted, stamped and enjoyed letting go our our Pintrest ideas of perfection to JUST BE and to allow our minds to rest and relax and to enjoy the moment. 

I felt like I was in kindergarten or first grade again and I LOVED IT!!  It took me two days to get all of the glue off of my fingers, paint from under my nails and everytime I washed my hands, I thought about that creative session and some fo the words that Carey shared of her own life and how she creates space for Sabbath in her very busy hectic life of home, work, faith and family.

Carey works hard all week in order to rest during the weekend with her family.  For twenty four-fortyeight hours she does not do dishes, laundry, cleaning, and not very much cooking.  Friday’s are pizza nights!  And she pulls our a basket of paint, glue and items for fun creativity that has no other purpose to serve than to simply allow her mind to relax, to give pause to her busy week and schedule, to be with those she loves and to celebrate the Life that God has given. 

I felt she was describing and unattainable life that I so desperately need in my own world.  Which if funny since I work from home for the purpose of being freed up to do what I am called to do, yet feel chaotic, stressed and never have time to just BE. 

I do have TIME.  The same amount that God gave the Israelites in the desert.  The same amount of time he has given to you as well.  My problem.  I do not CREATE a SPACE for REST on my calendar. 

Mike and I are in ministry together and our schedule cannot always be defined when we want it.  Needs come up at all hours, days, and times.  Then there are the ministry opportunities that we are involved in our community. 

One of my personal problems is that I enjoy being a part of everything! I love being in the center of what ever is going on.  I’m not sure if I am nosey, bossy or just plain curious… one thing is for sure… I LOVE PEOPLE.  Especially women.

In my struggle for boundaries, rest and Sabbath… which is really about surrender…I over commit my time and must pull back somewhere in order to create space for rest. 

In a recent conversation with my husband on how I can attain this, we had a different opinion on what resting for me could/should look like and this only caused more tension and internal conflict for me.  Who to please?  Who to let down? I dislike both of these distasteful ideas and abhor the thought that anyone will feel that I have not valued them with my time and affection.  UGGGHHH….another distraction of the enemy to put the brakes on my desire to cease trying to please everyone in order to overflow my life with more good things that will only serve to bring my health and wellness to a place of unrest…. Setting me up for mental and spiritual exhaustion will eventually put me in a pit of despair.  Been there, done that.  Don’t want to do that again.

I wish I were motivated to get 1,000 things done a day, but I seriously just want to feel great about the one day I have been given at a time and to be able to say “It is good” at the end of a day instead of a mind boggling blur of what didn’t get done, what is mandatory for the next day/week/month, what am I forgetting to get right!

REST:

Verb- cease work or movement in order to relax, 

refresh oneself, or recover strength.

Noun-an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage

in strenuous or stressful activity.

Whether REST is a noun or a verb to you, the common thread should be to cease. 

Stop.  Resist the urge to continue.  To enjoy a Sabbath is to Surrender everything to the Father and allow our hearts and minds to simply trust HIM with all that we are and all that He has blessed us with and all that He has called us to accomplish in His Name. 

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it…Heb 4:1 

I don't want to FAIL TO EXPEIENCE it.. or to fall in my desert of wondering and wandering.  I want to experience the FULL on Fullness of the Lord.  Therefore, I must REST.