Let Your Soul Rest

In our world, we don't know the meaning of rest. Our society has pushed rest to the side. We pile on our plates to the ceiling because a full life indicates that we are accomplished. A busy life shows the world we have it all together.

John Ortberg says it best in his book Soul Keeping that there's a difference between being busy and having a hurried soul. Being busy means you do a lot. You have a full schedule and many activities, but in the end busyness is an outward condition that is a reminder of how much you need God. But having a hurried soul means there is never an end to the doing. Being hurried means you are unable to be fully present and are often preoccupied. Hurriedness causes you to be unavailable to God, because God speaks to us in a still, small whisper. Don't believe me? Just ask Elijah.

"And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”" - 1 Kings 19:11-13

Lastly, having a hurried soul means you never experience true rest.

God knew what He was doing when He created us. He knows how we function. He knows that our souls desire rest. He created an entire day for it. But, like a lot of things, that day has been legalized and blown out of proportion. Resting doesn't necessarily mean vegging out on a couch or not using anything electric. Your soul desires rest in that it is constantly being attacked by the world, and you need a period of time to refill it. Resting could look different for anyone, but my soul is refilled most by reading or writing.

The American devotional author Lettie Cowman was visiting Africa one time, and touring around to different places. She had hired several guides and carriers and on their first day the group made a lot of progress, much to Lettie's satisfaction. On the second day, however, the group refused to move. Concerned and frustrated, Lettie asked the leader of those that she hired why they wouldn't continue on their journey. He told her that they had travelled to far too fast, and now they were waiting for their souls to catch up to their bodies. We have to rest every once in a while to let our souls catch up to our bodies. Where is your soul? Is it right beside you? Or is it years behind?

Why the Bible isn't your personal guide-book

So many times, whether in youth group, some bible study, or any gathering of believers, questions about ethics or situational problems arise, and the answer is always "Read your Bible." While this solution is not necessarily wrong in essence, it kind of skews the purpose of what the Bible is really there for. I know it gave me the impression that all the answers are hidden between the lines on the pages, and if I read hard enough I can figure out where God wants me to go. Or if there's a difficult situation I can figure out what God wants me to do. But that is not always the case.

The Bible is our measuring stick, our litmus test for the world. We use it as a lens to see through. And that lens can be one of many things. I was reading Jefferson Bethke's book It's Not What You Think and he put it so well that I'm just going to copy his examples.

1. The Sword of the Spirit

The Bible refers to itself as this, so of course it is not inherently wrong. And I'm not suggesting that any of these lenses are evil or twisted, just that the Bible is so much more than the box we sometimes put it in.

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any

double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and

spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes

of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

"Do not think I have come to bring peace to this earth. I have

not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34

This is all well and good, but is dangerous to only see the Bible through this combatant lens. The fighter lens of the Bible is simply a facet of a much bigger picture. As many times as the word soldier is mentioned, bride or child is included twice as much.

The biggest part of Jesus's ministry was healing the sick, marginalized, and down-trodden. He didn't make it his primary goal to go around using The Word as a weapon by flinging bible verses at everyone. Indeed he had God's law written on his heart, as evident when he was responding to needling by the pharisees and the devil in the desert, but when he encountered hurting and desperate people he looked on them WITH LOVE.

2. A Personal Road Map

"When you view the Bible as your personal roadmap, you can't help but

create a God who is a blend of Santa Claus and the magic eight ball...

The world is revolving around you, and God is present as butler, not Lord."

- Jefferson Bethke

I've certainly viewed the Bible this way. The future is scary, unknown, and mystical. We cling to safety, rarely are willing to change, and prefer to remain comfortable. But following Jesus challenges ALL of that.

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and

take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

Jesus's slogan while on earth was, "COME AND DIE." If that doesn't threaten our sense of security, I don't know what does.

So in order to obverse these scary feelings that come with being a Christian, we look for answers in the pages of the Bible. But God never promises us that. He promises that He will watch over us, stay by our side (even when we think we don't want Him there) and His love will remain steadfast. But He never promises that we'll know all the answers.

But that is the BEAUTY of trusting in our Lord and Savior! Why wouldn't you give your life to him? Why wouldn't you want the Creator of the universe to write your story? Besides, a life apart from God is meaningless, a chasing after the wind, all a vanity*.

Looking back on my life I have no idea how I got to where I am. I am applying to Physician Assistant school, something I never say myself doing. I've gotten to this point through a series of steps, each one a little higher than the last. I have found something that I have never been more passionate about, and I am thrilled and excited for the future that God already knows. I am expectant that God will use my story as a thread in the tapestry that is His Kingdom. Even if I don't know where that thread leads, or exactly what I'll be doing in five years, it doesn't matter because God takes care of his children.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or

 store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

3. A Moral Compass

"The Bible is descriptive, not prescriptive."

Jefferson Bethke

The problem with looking to the Bible for any conundrum you find yourself in, is that it doesn't give you a right answer for every situation. The Bible isn't a list of do's and do not's. It is a STORY. A story about how much our Creator adored the world. A story about how an only son redeemed a sinful word. A story about how a broken world will be put back to its former glory and God and man will dwell together. How awesome is that? CanIgetanamen!

The Bible is chock-full of rape, murder, incest, and the like. In the midst of all that mess God inserts some moral codes. But the Bible is "mainly about how God relates to a broken and rebellious human race" (Jefferson Bethke).

I'm not saying we shouldn't follow the Ten Commandments. The moral codes that ARE listed in the Bible are all very good to follow. But humans are sinful. We are going to mess up at one point or another.

As a broken and rebellious human, I think I can appreciate a story more than a list of what I should or shouldn't do. The story offers Grace and Redemption and spotlights the good we can do in God's name, while a list just shows me all my shortcomings.

A lot of people skip over the Old Testament, or skim through it to get to the good stuff in the New Testament. But ALL of the Word is true and holy. Erasing the OT erases half of God's design for the world. Skimming over the genealogies skims over Jesus's birth line: the real people that brought a real person into the world who was also God that also saved humankind**.

The entirety of the Bible is a story, and all centered around Jesus. It has many facets, and we should be careful not to make one of those facets our entire worldview. Our human, sinful nature makes us inclined to think ourselves the hero of the story, but that's not the case. The Lord has graciously granted us parts in the story of the Kingdom of God, and it is up to Him how our stories will be written. What we do is desire to have true hearts - hearts that assimilate to His Will.

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of

your heart." Psalm 37:4

*I’ve been reading Ecclesiastes and recently looked up what the word the translation of the word vanity actually meant. Vanity: frailty, nothing, nearest to zero, puff of wind, vapor, unreliability, emptiness, futility, no effect.

**Honestly I still have a bit of trouble with this. If anyone has a good grasp on this concept of human but also God, either comment below or email me!