The Lord has been speaking to me about resting. Just before Thanksgiving, I noticed my motivation for writing, working on music, and for other pursuits evaporated. Since my energies were diverted to holiday plans and family I didn’t think much of it. But as it became February, March, and then April, I began to wonder what was going on. Last week I finally decided to pray about it.
My first concern was that something was wrong. Perhaps my lack of motivation was a symptom of depression or something. Perhaps the Lord didn’t intend for me to minister in those ways any longer. I had plenty of questions.
In addition to praying, I discussed my situation with friends. They shared a number of insightful observations about my circumstances and suggested I might need to take a break. The Holy Spirit bore witness to this counsel, and I prayed more specifically about resting.
It turns out the Lord had been trying to speak to me about resting since this all began in November. Hey, it only took me 5 months to get it 😉 In praying I find the Lord is asking me to slow down across the board, to regroup, to put Him before all my activities.
In the realm of blogging, this will mean not blogging on a schedule. I’ve attempted to blog every couple days, and the Lord has provided for that. For now, I’ll just blog when it doesn’t violate this rest I’m observing.
Besides personal rejuvenation, the Lord may be using rest to address an issue of identity with me. In some ways, I find I don’t know who I am apart from certain activities. This is why I began to feel uncomfortable as one month of reduced activity stretched into two and then three and then more. But why do I need a point of reference for my identity other than Christ? Being in Him should be enough. The Bible says we have no righteousness in our moral actions. We are righteous simply by being in Christ. We have no life in ourselves but “In Him was life….” (John 1:4). Trying to establish identity in things or activities in addition to Christ goes against the whole thrust of the Bible. This season of rest is opening new vistas on this truth.
Please pray with me if the Lord brings me to your remembrance. I am just coming into the understanding of this season and want to flow with the Lord instead of swimming upstream. My prayer is that I come to Him with whatever weariness or burden I carry and to find rest as I learn from Him (Matt. 11:28-30).
The Voice of One 
We must be in a similar place on this journey. I am reading a book someone loaned me that has spoken to me deeply about this issue. “Orphan Slave Son” by Ben Pasley. We talk about being adopted as sons but a sign that we still identify as a slave is that we need to make ourselves useful to God lest his favour go to someone who works harder or is more accomplished. A Christian with an orphan mentality is constantly looking for a place where they fit in and has trouble accepting a Father’s love. Ouch. Himself has so much more planned for us – and that includes resting -abiding- in acceptance and love.
Don’t rush. He’s got all the time in the world for you, son.
Amen, and thanks for that personal encouragement 🙂
Resting goes pretty much against popular culture in general but I think it is a healthy and natural state we ought to all make time for. It goes along with balance in general. And it isn’t just about getting enough sleep at night – it’s about giving yourself room to breathe and time to put things in perspective or to let things go, even if it is just a break with a routine to take the proverbial road less traveled.
Yes, it’s ingrained in us to go go go. Rest is seen as optional instead of essential. Yet in the beginning, God didn’t set apart work days, just the day of rest. Scripture characterizes entering into Christ as entering rest and ceasing from work (Heb. 4). So rest is a big deal! Thanks for your thoughtful comments.