Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Being Still: Yes to God Tuesdays, Chapter 9



Oh, to rest in God like a child rests on a beloved adult! To abandon all cares, to submit to the rise and fall of the grownup's chest, to snuggle into the warmth of another. Unhindered sleep follows. Peace only comes when all efforts cease.

This week's chapter of Jennifer Rothschild's Self Talk, Soul Talk bids us to "Chill Out: Be at Rest, O My Soul". There were several lines in this chapter that popped me right between the eyes. "My fatigue became more powerful than my fortitude" (p. 135) summarizes my on-going dilemma.

When I am moving like a locomotive, it is often in doing good things. What a battle to accept that this is no excuse for not taking care of myself! I love the quote Jennifer attributes to Chuck Swindoll. Responding to the motto, "I'd rather burn out than rust out", Chuck asked, "What's the difference? Either way, you're out" (p.136).

There is a line I can easily cross in my full-steam-ahead mentality. At some point, I cease doing God's will and give in to the temptation of Gail's will. My will often includes making life go a certain way and having others see me in a certain light. Whenever I hit the burnout skids, I can retrace my steps and find the point where I diverged from God's plan and struck out on my own.

Thankfully, God has let me go down that path and suffer the consequences so many times, I am now loathe to do it. This takes intentional effort on my part. As Paul says in Hebrews, "Let us make every effort to enter God's rest so that no one will fall" (4:11, NIV). To hear more on the subject of God's rest, be sure to visit the "Yes to God Tuesdays" series, hosted by Lelia.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."
Isaiah 30:15, NIV.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh you are so right, needing to enter God's rest does take effort!
It is hard for me to not just keep going because I feel selfish when I take time for myself, to rest up my soul.
But when I don't do that, I find myself sinking into depression again, just like the past few weeks.
After getting some soul rest this past Sunday and Monday (ever before reading any or all of the chapter) I am doing better, but it is a battle to take that time to speak rest to my soul.
Thank you for sharing,
God Bless,
Heather

Denise said...

Amen, wisely said my friend. I love you.

Laura said...

This has been a challenge for me too, Gail. Why is taking care of ourselves such a hard thing to do? I am trying to do better. That story about Robin's mother's death really got me. It's not selfish to take care of me!

Trying harder...

Carol said...

What wise words. "Thankfully, God has let me go down that path and suffer the consequences so many times, I am now loathe to do it. This takes intentional effort on my part."

This is so true, the effort does take intentional work. Thank you this reminder.

Rest is the one thing I've been learning a lot about this past year.

Love,
Carol

Amrita said...

Hi Gail, God bless

Julie said...

Dear Sweet Friend,
Thank you for your words on my blog. I KNOW you understand. You have blessed me today with your words of comfort...

Bless you!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I pray that you find good balance and good rest this weekend. You're preaching to the choir girl! I know this one first hand and foremost. I'm going to take the day tomorrow to simply be a mom and nothing else. I need the rest and so do my children.

peace~elaine
PS: Thank you for your kind remarks about my recent post. Part two will post tomorrow.

Sita said...

Not sure what happened to the comment I just wrote, so rewriting here...thank you for your kind, sweet and thoughtful comment...I have to confess it has been a very 'hard' winter..and I have been in the Word, persisting in spite of not receiving 'life-giving' power so far...yet I persist, for I must...
on another note, it was 17C today--a record high..and it felt amazing!
Hope you are doing OK--God bless..
Sita

weatheba said...

Amen to rest!! :D

Crown of Beauty said...

Full steam ahead mentality...that made me smile. This post is a good reminder. The verse you quoted is one of my favorites. How right you are in what you wrote. May we always be sure that what we are doing are God's assignments. In the end, a man named Keith Jenkins shared with us, there will only be two kinds of people: those who obeyed God, and those who didn't. Blessings on your day, dear Gail.

Liz said...

Oh Gail, I have been a locomotive all week, even in the midst of this lesson on rest. It was good to stop by and be reminded again. Wise words my friend. I should probably come back every three or four days!

KelliGirl said...

Rest. It is so difficult to pause intentionally. I'm not even sure I know what true rest looks like. I'm getting ready to take a much needed walk...just me and my yellow lab. While I'm not resting per se, the time spent walking really allows me to hear God more clearly and enjoy His presence. You've caused me to ponder what entering into God's rest entails...and looks like.

Aunt Angie said...

Oh Gail..I want to be all used up for HIM! I loved this. AND when I saw that precious child...I thought just yesterday...the desire of my heart ---even though I am no longer a child...I long to lay my head on the FATHER's shoulder.

I saw myself in your post...loved it---and YOU dearly!

Sita said...

Hi Gail,
You just came to my mind and I thought I would pop by. Do pray all is well. It is sunny and above zero outside and I am just loving it! Thank you, Lord.
May His grace fall on you ever so gently, my sweet sister.

Unknown said...

It is so hard for busy bodies like me to remember to rest in him. I spend so much of my time planning that sometimes I forget to make God part of my plan. I think I need to adjust and take on a more restful lifestyle.

Crown of Beauty said...

Hi Gail, I miss hearing from you. Been visiting your blog off and on, and hope you will be back on blogworld soon! Praying for you.