âTruly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.â
Psalm 62:1-2 NIV
Sometimes Iâm guilty of trying to do too much. Scratch that, most of the time really. See if you can relate: A little while ago I was running errands, and decided to tackle everything at once. I had a limited amount of time, and an unlimited to-do listâŠ..and since I donât mind a challenge, I decided to take it all down. From place to place I hopped and slowly, steadily, almost stealthily I began to accumulate bulk & bags everywhere I stopped. Simultaneously I kept peaking at the clock, which caused me to get more and more determined to get things done as more and more time slipped away. My steps began to pound the pavement harder and harder as my heart rate elevatedâŠ. I was getting stuff done! Itâs important to be productive, right? I justified the mounting stress by telling myself I could rest when everything was finished. By the time I got to my car, I collapsed. I didnât feel as victorious as I thought I would. In fact, I was exhausted, starting to feel dehydrated, and a serious bout of hangryness (definitely a word!) was sneaking up on me. Then, clarity struck. I didnât actually feel better after getting everything done. Sure, the pressure of the âstuffâ was off of me, but because I had pushed myself too hard and stressed myself out, I was ridiculously frazzled once everything was accomplished. I couldnât help wondering why I do this to myself.
Why do any of us do this to ourselves?
When did productivity become so important, we ignore what is more important (our health, our time, our sanity) just to get stuff done?
âStuffâ isnât really that important, is it?
We push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion, frustration, or overwhelm instead of doing things to the best of our ability and letting that be enough. At the end of the day, busyness and crossing things off our to-do list isnât what makes us important or valuable. It’s not where we find or obtain rest either. Getting stuff done might be a part of our work but, our calling first and foremost, is our relationship with Jesus. No amount of list making or productivity can eclipse that.
I love the truth that the above passage reminds us âmy soul finds rest in Godâ some versions I have read have even said âmy soul finds rest in God alone.â In God alone. What a beautiful thought. It doesnât say when the lists are complete, or when you finally have your life togetherâŠ..it says we find our rest in God.
Thatâs a game changer friends.
We donât have to push and pull to choke every minute out of the day. Heâs willing to meet us, and keep us from being shaken. But the catch is pretty simple- we look to HIM for rest. The rest we are ultimately seeking is in our relationship with God, not in our accomplishments.
In case youâre like me, and need a little winding down instead of getting wound up, I want to encourage you to go to Jesus. Seek him. Call out to him. Take a breather. Pray. Look to him to find your rest. Take it down a notch, (or for some of us, several notches) Stuff will get done, but it should never eclipse your time with him. More than anything you need to do, you have somewhere you need to be, with someone infinitely special. Your rest is worth it.
So much love,
Joy