“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
I was sitting on my couch last night and Penelope was laying beside me sound asleep.....not a care in the world. The first thing I thought was she's so peaceful. Then I thought - nobody had to tell her it's time to rest. She just did it! She puts in a very active day....fetching, chasing squirrels, going for walks..... and at the end of the day she just stops. She's not fretting about whether she's going to be able to get a good night's sleep or what she's going to get in to tomorrow.....she's not consumed with worry, if I'll be here, feed her, love her. She's simply resting. As if to heave a heavy sigh of "all is well".
My thoughts began to turn to me. Lord knows I've been weary and burdened....Hmmmm.... I might actually stay in that state for long periods of time....he also knows of the hundreds of times I have NOT entered into his rest or even sought him for rest. 🤦🏻♀️
Rest is defined as peace, ease or refreshment. Genesis, talks about rest. God created for six days and rested on the seventh.
It's sad for me, that I proclaim to love the Lord with all of my mind, heart, soul and strength yet rarely...rarely do I feel at peace, at ease or refreshed.
So how do I get this rest?
Is it faith? What does it do?
"......faith that enables us to enter into God’s rest is a faith that first demands that we rest from relying on our own works."
However ....
"We also “make every effort to enter that rest” by choosing to depend solely on God, to trust Him implicitly, to yield totally to the promises of God through the free grace of His salvation."
How?
"....by first understanding our total inability to enter God’s rest on our own."
How?
".....by our total faith in the sacrifice of Christ and complete obedience to God and His will."
That circle begins with faith and ends with ...well.....faith.
This quote really struck me:
"God’s rest is a state, or place, where God rules and manages his creation, free from the chaos and disorder brought about by sin and rebellion. All who will rest from their own work of bringing their own life under control can enter into God’s rest."Ed Jarrett (Christianity.com)
The Garden of Eden represented God's rest. Until man destroyed it by their disobedience. Adam's rebellion ended his rest.....and sadly ours.
"The orderliness of the garden was replaced with a world that will require much effort to survive. A world of disorder. God’s rest is now only a memory."
And here is a portion of this article that gives me such a beautiful picture of what rest should truly look like and how I might get there:
"At one level the Sabbath is a time to cease from our own work; to rest. But it would also seem to be an invitation from God to participate in his own rest. To harken back to the garden. To be in fellowship with God, leaving the chaos of this world behind for a time. And to look forward to a time when we can once again reside in the garden, free from the labors of this world, and reveling in God’s presence."
Think of little children. They have the most vivid imaginations. Somewhere along the line....we grow up. We realize that life is tough, the world isn't fair....and we lose our ability to use our imagination.
Imagination is defined as the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful.
Let's go on a journey of the imagination or should I say my imagination...it's all I've got...😊
"Harken back to the garden."
I close my eyes and picture the garden. Breathtaking flowers, trees for miles, streams flowing.....so much to take in that it sends shivers down my spine. I think, "I'm going to live here someday!!" The sunshine is pure. It feels, on my bare skin, like something I can't explain. It's oh so quiet and I recall hearing about this peace that passes all understanding and I realize I'm living it! Every bird, every animal and every creature are present, living in harmony. I am not at all fearful of them. They are friendly...at least I feel that they are. There's a euphoria existing unexplainable....And then out of the quiet because it is incredibly quiet... I hear someone calling my name , "Dianna! Come!" And I RUN because the voice is familiar. I know Jesus is waiting. He draws me to him. I'm not anxious about knowing the way because he knows and I don't have to. I just follow his voice. The minute I see him I feel love pouring from him like a waterfall. I am drenched from head to toe. I am his and he is mine. I say, 'Yes Lord, I'm here". He walks with me in the garden. He asks me about my heart. The conversation is easy. Though he created me and knows everything about me he asks me about things. Things I thought I had stored so deeply in my heart that nobody knew...but HE knows and he desires to have that intimate relationship with me. He already knows what I try to hide yet he wants to free my mind from it. And the freedom is beyond explanation....and imagination. All that I knew, all the burdens and struggles aren't just gone from the present ..they are simply gone like they never existed.
I don't want to leave.....
And as I opened my eyes I realized I don't have to. I can live there NOW. I can enter the garden of God's rest and never leave. Easy? Nope. It takes work. It takes turning everything over to him that causes separation between us. It takes an abundance of faith and trust. But it is NOT unreachable nor inaccessible. It is a choice!! What do I choose? Chaos or Rest?
Can I encourage you to close your eyes and harken back to the Garden. Reinvigorate your imagination. Write it down, tape it to your mirror, put it in your wallet, remind yourself that IN CHRIST we already have Eden.
Happy Celebration Sunday ❤️
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