The Beauty of Rest
Whenever I sit down to write a new blog, I almost always begin by asking myself, what have I done the past few days? Because stories seem to come out of what I have done or what has happened recently.
That's why writing this post started out kind of difficult. What have I done the past few days? Well, not anything very noteworthy or that would interest any reader. I've come home, hung out with my amazing family, eaten great American food and done some great American-y things. I've had a great week; I've rested. But I haven't really done anything. Accomplished anything.
I am noticing just how much we base the significance, importance, or goodness of our lives based off what we do or how much we accomplish. Here's another example. The classic question: How has your day been? And how does the other person respond? By giving a list of things he or she did. At least that's what I do. Because we tend to measure our days by how much we do.
Striving. That's what I call it. The internal battle of measuring worth or value based on how much is done or accomplished. God is trying to break me of it because it's so contrary to his gospel of grace. Grace teaches that nothing we do can earn God'a favor because it's a gift freely given. Grace teaches that God loves us because of who he is not what we do. Grace teaches that nothing we do makes God love us more or less. We try to please God; grace teaches that he is already pleased. We try to earn his favor; grace teaches that it is already been given. We try to work for salvation; grace teaches its already been done. Grace proclaims freedom and satisfaction in knowing God without the burdensome pressure of trying to earn his love. What an amazing gospel! What amazing grace!
We can get to the end of the day and lay our heads on the pillow knowing that God loves us and has saved us, and that is enough.
At the same time that God is teaching me to cease striving, he is teaching me to rest. At the retreat in Greece last week, one of the speakers brought something to light that I had never noticed before. When God created man on the sixth day, he gave them a job. Their work was to tend to the garden and cultivate it. Basically to take care of all creation. That's a big job! And what was their first day on the job? Day seven? A day of rest.
The point is this: Instead of resting from our work (which is the approach we always take), we need to work out of our rest.
The first day in the job should be a rest day, and then all of our work ought to flow out of that rest.
That's another lesson that I am learning the practical way.
So maybe I don't have a great story to write this time. Maybe next time. It's not that exciting to write about resting and doing nothing. But maybe we need it more than we think.
May God's amazing grace stop us in our busy tracks and teach us to cease striving and rest in his presence, and may we find the fullness of joy in that place.
That's why writing this post started out kind of difficult. What have I done the past few days? Well, not anything very noteworthy or that would interest any reader. I've come home, hung out with my amazing family, eaten great American food and done some great American-y things. I've had a great week; I've rested. But I haven't really done anything. Accomplished anything.
I am noticing just how much we base the significance, importance, or goodness of our lives based off what we do or how much we accomplish. Here's another example. The classic question: How has your day been? And how does the other person respond? By giving a list of things he or she did. At least that's what I do. Because we tend to measure our days by how much we do.
Striving. That's what I call it. The internal battle of measuring worth or value based on how much is done or accomplished. God is trying to break me of it because it's so contrary to his gospel of grace. Grace teaches that nothing we do can earn God'a favor because it's a gift freely given. Grace teaches that God loves us because of who he is not what we do. Grace teaches that nothing we do makes God love us more or less. We try to please God; grace teaches that he is already pleased. We try to earn his favor; grace teaches that it is already been given. We try to work for salvation; grace teaches its already been done. Grace proclaims freedom and satisfaction in knowing God without the burdensome pressure of trying to earn his love. What an amazing gospel! What amazing grace!
We can get to the end of the day and lay our heads on the pillow knowing that God loves us and has saved us, and that is enough.
At the same time that God is teaching me to cease striving, he is teaching me to rest. At the retreat in Greece last week, one of the speakers brought something to light that I had never noticed before. When God created man on the sixth day, he gave them a job. Their work was to tend to the garden and cultivate it. Basically to take care of all creation. That's a big job! And what was their first day on the job? Day seven? A day of rest.
The point is this: Instead of resting from our work (which is the approach we always take), we need to work out of our rest.
The first day in the job should be a rest day, and then all of our work ought to flow out of that rest.
That's another lesson that I am learning the practical way.
So maybe I don't have a great story to write this time. Maybe next time. It's not that exciting to write about resting and doing nothing. But maybe we need it more than we think.
May God's amazing grace stop us in our busy tracks and teach us to cease striving and rest in his presence, and may we find the fullness of joy in that place.
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