Time to Rest

The other day, I had a conversation with someone and mentioned that I was tired. He asked me if I was sleeping okay. I said yes. Then he stumped me and asked if I was RESTING okay. As a small tear came to my eye, I realized that it had been a long while since I had sustained REST. I do have continual peace. I have taken breaks here and there. But, if I'm being honest with myself, there have not been real sustained periods of rest. And I ruminated on that thought and wondered how I would possibly get that rest with life going forward and ministry being what it is. And THAT started to fatigue me even more...

It wasn't until I remembered that rest may come in space rather than time, that the weight of that fatigue began to lift. I knew that the source of my rest would not be one of long time or extended periods of sleep and vacation. That had become evident. But what was real was that God was and is always able to give me (and you) a refreshing and a rest that exceeds our understanding of how or where it comes from.

For me, God sent me some great quality time with my mother that brought that refreshing and that feeling of REST. At times rest is simply a supernatural blessing that comes out of nowhere. Other times it's the smile of a friend or the hug of a loved one that seems to bring you a charge. Or perhaps it's even simply an hour alone listening to your favorite songs, or a quiet ride in the car, or a small breeze that hits your face just so. If you find yourself at the end of your energy rope, I'm here to remind you that God is ABLE and WILLING to bring you a remedy for your much-needed REST. Truly His Word saying that we can bring ourSELVES (not just our problems) to Him is real. Be encouraged that the Lord knows that one thing that will give you strength, that thing on this earth that seems to breathe extra life into your deflating spirit, and it's waiting with Him just for you.

DAY 28: You WILL Find Rest

There's an American couple who have been walking through an adoption process with a young boy in Uganda. They are woodworkers in California who have sold much of what they can and put somewhat of a pause on their lives to go to Uganda to finish out the process of getting their son healthy and adopted in person. It's a rather sweet story of God using their journey in the process to minister to couples near and far and to individuals around the world. They have an Instagram account and a blog (http://graceandsalt.net/) and all the other modern social media accouterments that help communicate to the world the ups and downs of what God is doing. If you're following one of those lines of communication as I am, you get to see some of the victories and some of the challenges. The past couple of days, their posts have reflected a consistent message, "we are tired." Their mission has taken its toll--emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Their transparency in those moments is real; and, as a fellow missionary, I feel their pain. As I read their post with my own droopy eyes earlier today, I could understand a part of what they were trying to communicate--being tired, fatigued...WEARY.

As a pastor and counselor, missionary and person, this is a thing that I have seen so very often over the years. There are times when I must walk alongside of others in the Lord where they feel as though they have hit their limit and are burning out. And sometimes it's not them but me who has gotten to a point where I feel like my reserves are negative empty. I have been at the point in my life where even vacations just do enough to fill me up to that empty line and there's more that must be dealt with. It's that point that you reach where sleep is not the issue. I remember reading a definition of symptoms given by the Mayo Clinic about chronic fatigue that said it's a "nearly constant state of weariness that develops over time and diminishes your energy and mental capacity...impacts your emotional and psychological well-being, too." I had looked it up when I was in one of those places of burnout and it helped me to put how I was feeling in physiological terms. 

And while some of fatigue is about the body and what we do to take care of ourselves (or not take care of ourselves), there is a large part that is about the routines and emotional/spiritual support (or lack thereof) that simply drain us and make matters worse. So you cannot look at fatigue and weariness in a vacuum of medical intervention and expect everything to be okay. In my own journey through weariness, I had to turn to my other Resource (a.k.a. the Bible) for solutions and understanding as well. In the process I found two of my life verses, Galatians 6:9 and Matthew 11:28-29. First we're told, "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we FAINT NOT." and then you have the words of Jesus compelling us to "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

You see, God supports us on both sides. He wants you to be proactive and do things to keep focused on Him--persevering and pressing towards what He's called you to do--but with wisdom and understanding of how to take care of yourself so that you can continue on without fainting. He's an advocate for taking care of yourself. But then he also says that if you've reached the point where you feel you are fainting, he's got your back. He assured us that if we come to him during these points of weariness we will find rest for our souls...not may or could, but he's made a promise of what he wants to do for you. No matter what you are facin--be it adoption in Uganda or war in Syria or stress in Minnesota--God wants to help you find soulful rest and to bring forth the harvest for all that you've sown. When I read the "graceandsalt" post, my immediate thought was to encourage them (and you) that "due season" is on it's way.

Today, I want challenge you to proactively have a plan for personal care. Take care of yourself physically. Get sleep. Eat well. Take breaks. Talk to friends. But, at the end of the day, don't forget to take care of yourself spiritually. Don't forget to check in with the Lord. Don't foget to keep your eyes on Him as he is the ultimate smelling salt and can keep you from fainting. He wants to be a part of your personal treatment plan too. When you feel like you don't have time to pause, meditate, seek him...that's the time when you need to dig in the most. Never lose site of that because that is where you will find fulfillment to the promise for rest.

Be encouraged,
Pastor Andrea