Scripture: Isaiah 30:15
Journal: How are you at stopping and resting?
Do you think they are valuable?
Do you think God actually wants you to do them? How is God asking you to stop and rest? What is he asking you to let go of so that
you can?
Reflection:
Does it seem bizarre to you that we, for some
unfathomable reason, would be unwilling to rest? That we would have to be “made” to lie down
in green pastures (Psalm 23:2)? Why is
it so hard for us to stop? Is it because
we don’t want to, or because we just don’t know how? I think we need stopping lessons.
Imagine how terrifying it
would be if, when we were being taught to ride a bike, we never learned how to
stop. In that case, we would have only
two options available. We could either
keep on going (forever), or we could crash.
Unfortunately, choosing option number one always leads to option number
two—to keep going and going and going is not a sustainable solution.
I remember when my wife and
I tried snow skiing for the very first time.
I mean, it looked easy enough, right?
And since we had a chalet right on the slopes we decided to forgo any
type of lessons and just go for it. We
put on our boots and our skis, went out of our chalet to the slope that was
just outside our door, and took off down the hill. Going is a breeze, right? It is all physics and gravity. But as we picked up speed heading down the
hill, both of us realized that we didn’t know how to stop. I’m guessing that was probably lesson number
one in ski school. And so we began to
look for the softest and safest place to crash, which we did—skis and poles
going every which way. I think even my
gloves came off. It was not pretty, nor
fun.
Stopping is an essential
part of life. That’s probably why God
made it a part of our weekly rhythm. It’s
what Sabbath is all about. In fact, the
Hebrew word for Sabbath (shabath) simply means to stop. God worked six days and then God stopped, and
he rested. Why would we think that we,
who were made in his image, would be any different? In fact, God tells us that it is “in returning
and rest we shall be saved.” Somehow it
is in returning to God and resting in him and his work and his care that we
actually find our own salvation. It is
not something we have to work for or achieve or earn, but something that can
only be received freely. Thus, we can
stop and rest. In fact, we must.
Which is funny because
somehow I think we see stopping and resting as a weakness. In our culture they are not held in high
regard. We are so resistant to stopping
and resting because they force us to be dependent on something, or Someone,
else for our salvation and our honor (Psalm 62:7). Which makes us trust in God, rather than in
our own gifts and efforts, and we do not like that. We do not like things being out of our
control. But ultimately, whether we like
it or not, the biggest things in life are out of our control. And if nothing else, the last few weeks has
been ample evidence of that. So we must
begin to learn to rely on God, to trust in him; which means that we are going
to have to learn how to stop. Stop
relying on ourselves, stop trying to do it all ourselves, and stop trusting in
ourselves.
Learning how to stop begins
with belief—really being convinced that God is both strong and loving, just like
he says he is (Psalm 62:11-12). He is
both able and willing to help us. Learning
how to stop comes from really believing that we really are his beloved. Our worth and value is solely determined by him
and his great love for us. We do not
have to do anything to earn it, he loves us simply because we are his. Thus, we do not have to constantly try to
prove to ourselves and our world that we are worth loving. And finally, learning to stop means that
these truths begin to take shape in our lives.
They give us the freedom to slow down, to make space, to breathe. The freedom to be the best, God-breathed,
version of ourselves. They allow us to
run at a pace that is healthy and sustainable, pumping the brakes when life
seems to be getting out of control. They
help us to operate out of love rather than out of need. And they help us to acknowledge the fact that
everything is not up to us, but up to God.
We are not meant to do everything, just the things he has specifically
called us to.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to stop and rest. For unless I learn that first, I will be of
no lasting value to your kingdom. I will
be trying to force my agenda, rather than operating by yours. Amen.
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