Tip of My Iceberg

I’ve always been fascinated by how children are able to turn off completely when they sleep. They rest when they need it. 

Once down, they rarely get up. (Their bladders have not yet experienced the challenge of age and limited capacity.)

It might take awhile for them to get there. My daughter Heather didn’t want to miss out on anything. She’d fall asleep by the closed door, her hand reaching out to the greater world of people. Fingers wriggling for the longest time.

Their creativity with excuses knew no bounds. And now my grandkids have developed that talent. Not just the “I need a drink of water or I’ll die of thirst” excuse. Nor the “There’s a monster under my bed! I don’t want to get eaten” concern.

These are more the “I think there are scorpions in my bed,” or “I need to sing you a song” type of comments.

Creative. And useful. They waste time with flair.

But once asleep, you could set a bomb off nearby and not have them twitch.

It’s a capacity for rest I lack. And yet desperately need.

Culturally, we are a frantic people. We fill our 24-hour days with enough stuff for 25. Or 26.

And if that isn’t enough, we struggle with turning off our brains at night. My to-do lists run like cartoon characters through my dreams, chasing me with an urgency that makes me want to stop and look back. But I know if I do I’ll be trapped.

And the noise! Not just the things I haven’t done, but the people I need to see. The conversations that must  happen. The responsibilities I  should fulfill.

Is it any wonder I’m exhausted all the time?

Focus becomes a challenge. I’m like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, in constant motion. I bounce from task to task, not concentrating enough to finish any of them.

I so want to follow-through and finish well. More often than not, I look like Wylie Coyote, suspended above the ground, legs whirling. Going nowhere.

Because I’m tired.

We weren’t made to go non-stop. No one has a forever battery. The energizer bunny is a myth.

Jesus, however, is limitless in His energy. And He graciously offers to supply His energy for our need.

“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

Rest for your soul. Deep, refreshing, restorative rest.

It’s not something I can manufacture. Or work at. No detailed plan will give it to me.

It comes from trusting Him to provide for me what I’ll never be able to provide for myself.

Redemptive rest. True rest for a broken, messy heart.

When was the last time you felt rested?

*Picture of resting child courtesy of thecpapshop.com.

*Picture of Wylie Coyote courtesy of boomerangarchive.webs.com.