Simple Thoughts Sunday: Rest precedes blessing

One of my friends posted the photo above on Facebook this week. It’s so peaceful to me that I just had to turn it into the blog photo for today.

I am reading Rebekah Lyon’s new book, Rhythms of Renewal, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect for this discussion. Several conversations with a variety of people in my life this week have revolved around the need for finding space, margin and really just flat out REST. I feel the reality is that we don’t allow ourselves to experience the capacity that God gave us to think, create, innovate and serve. We need to reconsider allowing ourselves to being scheduled out and consumed by the distractions around us. I’m always reminded that this is a choice, and if we don’t put some proverbial “muscle” around it, we will continue down a path that doesn’t quite give us the full energy we need to forge ahead in the most fulfilling way – nor really the way God intended us to live.

In her book, Lyon talked about the initial design of the human race, which clearly states that we were intended to rest: “On the seventh day (of the days of creation) He rested from all his work.” The part I hadn’t really noticed before was this: “Then God blessed the seventh day…” Aha! She noted, “Rest precedes blessing. We don’t have to run to earn rest, we run FUELED by a posture of rest.” Very cool. Anyone else need that?

Her story is one that showcases that she feels her life has been saved (she was having debilitating anxiety attacks) because she decided to pause and take a literal inventory… an inventory of evaluating her life and redefining priorities. Have you ever sensed your life was about more that it is today, but cannot quite get to the point of understanding what it is? Her inventory strategy was to sit down with someone she loved and capture all of the moments where she felt most alive, and then the moments where life wasn’t too much fun. That rather simple starting point offered her a course correction, if you will, and allowed her to move closer to what she felt called to do. In her words:

“Taking a break, resting from responsibility long enough to take inventory, was crucial to imagining God’s plan for my life.”

I kind of love that. How can we rest better? If we all make a commitment to doing this, we may just turn up the volume on truly realizing all we are intended to do in this one life of ours. My friends, have the most incredible week. I hear it’s going to be a beautiful and full of actual fall days and nights.