A Crisp Rest...
I decided rather suddenly to take a couple weeks off from the crazy world of couponing, and blogging. It was much needed, though I haven't been at it very long. Do you ever dive in so deep, your hobby starts to invade all your dreams, and consume your thought life like an addiction? Like, if you aren't watching every video you've subscribed to and checking in on every social media outlet what's coming next, you feel as though you're missing out on something? I think we all can relate to this if we look at one area of our lives or another. Sometimes it can be difficult to take a complete break from the things we are trying to develop and stay diligent in. If you're like me, you may have those fears of "will I ever start up again?" "what if I lose momentum?" You may just be one of those people that feel like a failure or a slacker if you are not completely consumed by work and "the busy." Perhaps you don't like the silence. It makes you think. Too much. Maybe, if we compare our work ethic with those around us we feel we fall terribly short. We force ourselves to keep up with this standard so much that we don't even stop to wonder is it a good standard?
With that pressing feeling of stepping back comes great benefits but also great challenges.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
- Matthew 11:28 NASB
I looked into that word "heavy-laden." The definition is carrying a heavy load. One related word sort of stuck out to me the most and that was "encumbered." The definition that follows is loaded to excess. Loaded to excess. Now, excess is obviously very familiar to the human heart. The definition I like most is the lack of moderation in an activity.
So, if we look closely at ourselves where do we need super-natural rest due to lack of moderation in our lives? It is possible we first need to recognize why a lack of moderation is so hard to maintain in this day and age we live in. We all know a lack of moderation is bad but why, oh why, do we continue to live so heavy-laden and think we can get away with it? How can it be so easy to fall into this lifestyle as a parent, an employee, a friend, a church-goer?
It is no secret that a "work til you drop" mentality has been accepted and even glorified in our culture. We see those who get ahead maybe have more stuff, or more friends, or more spotlight opportunity. We can view each other as fellow work-horses and lose the importance of going deeper with one another. We don't put the inner person first rather we try keeping up with the outer accomplishments we see next to us. It has become obvious to us through articles, motivational talks, or sermons we hear today about how much we need to rest and not be so busy, blah blah, yet here we are! AGAIN. Maybe needing rest is something we see, but we really haven't learned the importance of it. Or, we recognize it's importance but have NO idea what it means. Is that a vacation? Is that watching some Netflix? Is that going to the singles hang out at my church this week? I truly believe some of us have come to avoid the rest we need because we have lost the knowing of our true source of rest.
Hey, don't get me wrong. Vacations are great! Watching some television is fine. Doing some scrap booking, or reading a good book can feel relaxing, but do not forget what Christ said in Matthew.
"... I will give you rest."
"Whoa, so there's like a rest only found in Jesus?!" YES! Hallelujah! Do we lack rest or the importance we place on rest because we haven't really been resting?
Rest is to recover strength! Where are you going to recover your strength?? What are we doing to refresh and recharge? Let's just say this too... If you are leaving your 'rest' and going straight back into a heavy-laden lifestyle, you probably weren't receiving your rest from the right source. If you're afraid to stop because you simply don't know what to do with yourself if you do, you have been disconnected from your source of rest for a while. This is not to bring condemnation, believe me, because we all can improve in this area, but if we are so stinking far from the last time we found our rest in Jesus, are we really living in relationship with Him?
Our nature will always push us to do the natural thing. That is nothing new. Our flesh is flawed and sinful and will push us to exhaustion. This is why we need something totally unnatural, or perhaps I should say SUPER natural to fuel our lives.
Now, we find our rest in Him through the reading of the Word, prayer, meditation on His scripture, accountability with christian brothers and sisters, and soaking in His presence and being filled with His Holy Spirit. Let us remember HE is our source. He is where our lives should flow from. Do not take the opinions you have formed in and through this life and bring it to scripture. You will come out with your own doctrine and what you want to see or think. Instead we weave scripture into our thinking and feeling and actions. If the opinions of this world aren't lining up, we will know it. If our rest is only found in television, travel, listening to music, or even hanging out with friends and family you will begin to weave only more flesh into your life.
This is a hard thing to see at times, but when we deny what is comfortable in the moment and stay faithful to the things of God, we are never truly without rest. It kind of will feel like this...
Look at that sweet little baby grin! My darling
son knows how to show me the importance of rest
all of the time! What a blessing that we can learn
as we go and pass it on to our children.
I love that I felt this tug to stop right as fall began to hit the beautiful South. Autumn is my absolute favourite season. It means the beginning of lots of busyness for us maybe,but the earth is coming into rest. Leaves change and fall, the air gets crisp, and a hard-working harvest is about to be reaped. The old is beginning to pass away, just in time for us to celebrate what really matters once again. I adore it. If you listen closely, I believe sweet warrior Jesus is prepping us to come into a season of learning, and knowing God-intended rest.
Your sister and friend always...
- Mummy Miser
With that pressing feeling of stepping back comes great benefits but also great challenges.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
- Matthew 11:28 NASB
I looked into that word "heavy-laden." The definition is carrying a heavy load. One related word sort of stuck out to me the most and that was "encumbered." The definition that follows is loaded to excess. Loaded to excess. Now, excess is obviously very familiar to the human heart. The definition I like most is the lack of moderation in an activity.
So, if we look closely at ourselves where do we need super-natural rest due to lack of moderation in our lives? It is possible we first need to recognize why a lack of moderation is so hard to maintain in this day and age we live in. We all know a lack of moderation is bad but why, oh why, do we continue to live so heavy-laden and think we can get away with it? How can it be so easy to fall into this lifestyle as a parent, an employee, a friend, a church-goer?
It is no secret that a "work til you drop" mentality has been accepted and even glorified in our culture. We see those who get ahead maybe have more stuff, or more friends, or more spotlight opportunity. We can view each other as fellow work-horses and lose the importance of going deeper with one another. We don't put the inner person first rather we try keeping up with the outer accomplishments we see next to us. It has become obvious to us through articles, motivational talks, or sermons we hear today about how much we need to rest and not be so busy, blah blah, yet here we are! AGAIN. Maybe needing rest is something we see, but we really haven't learned the importance of it. Or, we recognize it's importance but have NO idea what it means. Is that a vacation? Is that watching some Netflix? Is that going to the singles hang out at my church this week? I truly believe some of us have come to avoid the rest we need because we have lost the knowing of our true source of rest.
Hey, don't get me wrong. Vacations are great! Watching some television is fine. Doing some scrap booking, or reading a good book can feel relaxing, but do not forget what Christ said in Matthew.
"... I will give you rest."
"Whoa, so there's like a rest only found in Jesus?!" YES! Hallelujah! Do we lack rest or the importance we place on rest because we haven't really been resting?
Rest is to recover strength! Where are you going to recover your strength?? What are we doing to refresh and recharge? Let's just say this too... If you are leaving your 'rest' and going straight back into a heavy-laden lifestyle, you probably weren't receiving your rest from the right source. If you're afraid to stop because you simply don't know what to do with yourself if you do, you have been disconnected from your source of rest for a while. This is not to bring condemnation, believe me, because we all can improve in this area, but if we are so stinking far from the last time we found our rest in Jesus, are we really living in relationship with Him?
Our nature will always push us to do the natural thing. That is nothing new. Our flesh is flawed and sinful and will push us to exhaustion. This is why we need something totally unnatural, or perhaps I should say SUPER natural to fuel our lives.
Now, we find our rest in Him through the reading of the Word, prayer, meditation on His scripture, accountability with christian brothers and sisters, and soaking in His presence and being filled with His Holy Spirit. Let us remember HE is our source. He is where our lives should flow from. Do not take the opinions you have formed in and through this life and bring it to scripture. You will come out with your own doctrine and what you want to see or think. Instead we weave scripture into our thinking and feeling and actions. If the opinions of this world aren't lining up, we will know it. If our rest is only found in television, travel, listening to music, or even hanging out with friends and family you will begin to weave only more flesh into your life.
This is a hard thing to see at times, but when we deny what is comfortable in the moment and stay faithful to the things of God, we are never truly without rest. It kind of will feel like this...
Look at that sweet little baby grin! My darling
son knows how to show me the importance of rest
all of the time! What a blessing that we can learn
as we go and pass it on to our children.
I love that I felt this tug to stop right as fall began to hit the beautiful South. Autumn is my absolute favourite season. It means the beginning of lots of busyness for us maybe,but the earth is coming into rest. Leaves change and fall, the air gets crisp, and a hard-working harvest is about to be reaped. The old is beginning to pass away, just in time for us to celebrate what really matters once again. I adore it. If you listen closely, I believe sweet warrior Jesus is prepping us to come into a season of learning, and knowing God-intended rest.
Your sister and friend always...
- Mummy Miser
I love you, friend. Thanks for the challenging words. <3
ReplyDeleteAw I love you so much friend!
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