43. Rest (again!)

 The Lord invited me to rest. Rest my voice. Rest my heart. Rest from social media... And more. Over the years, I have learned that the truth of God can bring conviction to make changes. These changes are accompanied by a deeper, more meaningful and fulfilled way of living. I have always tried to use the platform the Lord has given me for lifting others up the best I know how, pointing people back to HIM and encouraging those life changes to be made with Him. But even still, there is so much that is being presented on facebook by others that I have found incredibly draining and some days it was if I was being swept away with it all. Four words often went with that feeling: confusion, chaos, and guilt/shame. No matter how the author masks these messages with “awareness“ and “good intentions”, I assure you they are not messages from the Lord. The Holy Spirit does not speak to His people in such a way to promote confusion, chaos or guilt. It became quite overwhelming.

“Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30

So I felt as if I entered a quiet few weeks. I put down my writing pen, set aside the journal projects I was working on, stepped back from facebook, and closed my computer. Not because I needed the physical rest but because it was clear He was asking me to. I’ve learned that we can’t always expect to have the full picture before we decide to obey what He tells us, and honestly, this was not the first time He has taken me to this spot. A spot of setting all else aside except for Him. Truth be told, I find that it is still often hard for me to take that kind of time no matter the duration. But time and time again, the Lord shows me exactly why He wanted me here and what was needing to be addressed.

If the Lord is leading you into a season of restful behavior (whatever that looks like in your life) take it. It is not a sign of weakness as we tend to think. I often find that during these moments, He is not only healing any hurts and redefining our focus on Him, but He is also renewing our strength for what’s to come next.

”My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.“ Psalm 62: 1-2