Learning to Rest

I don’t really know how to rest.

 

The latter part of this past week my stomach disliked everything it came in contact with and expelled it in record time, while at the same time my head protested every sight, sound and movement. Even in this weak and miserable state the only thing I could think about was all the things I needed to be doing but could not. 

 

Earlier in the week, God was reminding me of the verse, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10) and a blog I had written long ago on its meaning.

 

 

 

I walked away from my quiet time still clinging to my “to do” list, choosing it over Him, promising quality time at a later point when my checklist was finished and I could fully focus.

 

The truth is the “to do” list never ends. It will always have more tasks added to it. 

 

This morning during staff meeting Benny talked about a little boy in Malawi who came running to him on the beach, arms waving, wanting to be put on Benny’s shoulders. He recounted that as he walked with him on his shoulders the “Footprints” poem came to his mind. It was then that he realized how we often feel we cannot rest in God, cannot ask Him to carry us, unless we are completely spent, beyond exhaustion and about to collapse. 

 

So we pull up our bootstraps. We see ourselves as strong, tough, capable so we go and go and go. All the while missing the joy of resting in God, dismissing communion and intimacy for rules and religion, and miserably working ourselves to death.

 

In no way am I saying to shirk responsibilities or that work isn’t important. I am saying that God is most important. I am saying that we don’t have to wait until we can barely lift another finger before we come to rest in Him.

 

I need to learn to rest in Him… to drop some things for just a while and joyfully come into His presence to know Him.

 

How about you?