Thursday, April 10, 2014

teach us to rest


Father, we come . . .

with few words today.
we come wanting to just sit under Your shade.

we feel tired from engaging with the world this week.
plain ol' tired from life.

the week felt heavy six hours into Monday.
and it feels heavier yet on Thursday.

our fingers feel arthritic and we wonder why.
maybe we've been gripping things that we can't even see.

sometimes this happens, where everything just feels a bit too much.
even all the dreaming and the hoping.

perhaps it's time to unplug for a bit.
it might even be time for a vacation.

it's not like we're hungover from trying too hard last week.
but maybe it's just what happens when two weeks collide.

or maybe it's the collision of two seasons that we're recovering from.
it could even be all the remarkable joy we've experienced of late.

living blind for so long and then suddenly having sight can be overwhelming.
it's a lot to take in to see life and You so differently.

we're learning who we are and You're disciplining us to be ourselves.
yet, old habits are still a part of us, and maybe it's this in between that's so tiring.

we aren't being too expectant and demanding of ourselves and of You anymore.
not like we used to be, anyway.

still, we're restless and sometimes even just hope is the reason why.
the wondering and faith-living can be hard to cope with in this kind of world.

trying to ignore all the noise and distractions might be why we're so tired.
deliberately focusing on You is a challenge in this place, You know.

You tell us we can rest, even in the chaos.
even in the middle of our day that feels like a noisy open air market, we can rest.

we can just sit right in the middle of it all, if we want.
we can hold up one finger and tell everyone else they can just wait.

it's time for this.
we agree that it's time to rest right here, right now.

so, hold us under Your canopy.
cool us from the heat of the day.

might we feel the warm breeze and hear the little creatures speak.
might peace be what feeds us today, not all the affirmation of others.

let it not be checkboxes that make us happy.
and not the feeling of accomplishment at days end.

infuse us with Your strength to keep on in this week.
bolster our courage to press on and let You love through us today.

lead us to the quiet moments You have for us today.
take us into the hidden rooms that we sometimes miss.

show us the spaces You have created for us to breathe.
speak to us there, in those moments made just for us.

nourish and fill us with Your love.
teach us to rest in this day, as it is.

amen.

2 comments:

  1. I really need this today. Asking God to be purposeful today to rest and seek Him and sit under His canopy. Thank you for this, Amy. May you find rest for your soul today.

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    1. *to help me be purposeful - the Holy Spirit is our Reminder, Comforter, Ever-present help, and Friend. We can rest that He will lead us to the stillness. That's not even on us! We just follow His gentle lead.

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