When I say rest I'm not talking about sleeping. I'm talking about that kind of rest that fills your soul with good things while rejuvinating your mind body and spirit. Sounds a little like Yoga huh?? Well, not quite. The kind of rest I've been in search of is puposeful solitude that is absolutely God infused. I believe that when God created and demostrated the Sabbath for us he was not commanding something "just because" or to try and limit us He was giving us a gift. Yes the Sabbath means no work but it is so much more than that. It means re-fueling our lives with God moments and allowing us to focus without interuptions or distractions; even in our thoughts and prayers we have distractions. Sabbath rest was not just for the Jews it is for all of us. We are all human and we all are limited. Without taking a sabbath rest or finding solitude with God we are limiting our capabilities to do great things for God and we are deliberately saying, "no God, I think I'll be just fine if I run on Empty for a while..." We have all felt stressed and tired out sometimes but we think if we just press on we'll get to the other side of it and then everything will be good. Eventually pressing on catches up with us and we sit confused at our desiers and wonder how we got to a place so empty and lonely even in the midst of busyness, things, people, appointments, lunch dates, and coffee shops. Solitude invites us to "Be Still..." it invites us to be quiet and turn off our thinkers, it pushes out all interuptions and allows God to speak to our hearts and at the core of our souls we find who He really desires us to be. Solitude can free us to let God answer the questions we've been asking and it can free us to act in ways that God desires to see us act. BUT that's not all, it gives us the strength to do what we were made to do and do it for God's glory. These are just some of the things I've been learning on my search for rest.
Well, I'm no expert on this subject, in fact, I'm really just starting to learn about how to find solitude and real rest with God. I have a hard time shutting my thoughts off and allowing God to guide my time with him and I also have a real problem with scheduling my day so that at least once a week I can get away with God. I would love to say that I practice solitude every day; maybe that's why I've been learning about it but I can't say that I do practice it even once a week. Maybe you'll take this journey with me and practice solitude with me. Maybe we'll both find the rest we were made to have.
What I've been reading about rest: "Sacred Rhythms" by: Ruth Hailey Barton
Thanks for letting me ramble
CW
WOW Christina you are deep....it took you 2 months to gear up for that post. Solitude is really hard for me too..how do you shut your mind off?? Good thought?!?!
ReplyDeleteJoanne:
ReplyDeleteI've been really struggling lately to shut my mind down. Maybe that's why I've avoided things like the internet and blogging for so long... they sometimes seem to add more to my brain. :D But I'm really trying to get good at letting God sit me down and shut me up every once in a while. Blogging is something that I enjoy though and it can be a good outlet for my thoughts to go somewhere. So I'm going to TRY to do more of this. Thanks for always checking my blog even though most of the time there is nothing new!
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