We are pretty used to being free spirits, aren’t we? When we don’t have the privilege of making our own choices in our daily lives, we feel hemmed in and stifled. These past days of taking it very slowly to heal after a nasty fall, I am being forced to rest, ice, put my legs up, only to rest some more. Even some of the tasks that are right in my sight to work on have to be “let go” for another time. I just cannot sit or get in a comfortable position to do the work.
Frustrating, but I am trying to understand the importance of rest. Especially in this urgent time of healing. Real rest many times is in short supply as we flit from one activity to another. Work, taking care of our families, running our households, and even what we call our “leisure” time often ends up being filled with frantic activity. Even though we have appliances and gadgets of every kind to make life easier and chores go faster, we still are caught up in this whirlwind of busyness! I even read where one woman said we are “human doings” instead of human beings!
God knows us. For sure. He made the master plan of rest in the cycle of life, asking us to take a regular time for it each week. Yes, He created this special time for a holy remembrance, but also to help preserve us, to give us time off, and to renew our strength as people. Jesus said, “ The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”. Mark 2:27
This choice of having to slow down, lay down, sleep, have my day pass in slow motion before me, is not one I would have made on my own. It goes against who I am, but I am finding that I have to accept some things (many things) I cannot change. I just have to wait…be patient..until this hurting body feels better.
In this time of resting, there has been a lot of stillness. It is almost more audible than any other sound, except for a loud, sharp noise. It is amazing when you just listen to “nothing” what comes to you in the quietness of the day or dark. Oh, I have enjoyed some good music and listened in on some intriguing TV shows, but many of my resting hours have been serene and unobtrusive. The silence seems open somehow, yet rich in thought. Wisdom seems to be closing in around me, and I wonder at the scripture in Psalms 46:10…”Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
Yesterday the first two sentences that greeted me in written form were these: “ Thank me for the conditions that are requiriing you to be still. Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, impatiently to be active again.” ( Jesus Calling, Sarah Young) Not surprisingly, God has stopped me in my tracks not only to rest, but to be more aware of His presence. I can only be thankful for that.
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