The Recipe for Resting

Rest has many definitions under limitless contexts. Experts write books about rest, health professionals create podcasts based off rest, therapists recommend rest to their clients on a daily basis, and there’s even a phrase us commonfolk use to describe a long weekend from work: R and R. Yup, Rest and Relaxation. As a teacher, I hear the joke every year, at the beginning of August: “When will it be summer break?” after we just ended summer break two weeks ago. If you want to do a little digging in the Bible, you won’t get far before you see rest came shortly after God created the Heavens and the Earth. Dig further than Genesis and you will find that rest is nothing like sipping a Pina Colada on a beach in Nassau*, a massage and facial cleanse spa day with the lady friends, or golfing with the buddies at an unbelievably discounted rate.

*©Best Beaches in Nassau – Sandals® Resorts 

 

So what does the Bible mean when it talks about rest and how can we expand our thinking when it comes to God’s idea of it? After all, I don’t think He used his Sonoran Serenity Spa coupon for his day of rest on the 7^th day. When God rested on the 7^th day of creation (Genesis 2:2-3), “God did not rest as one weary, but as one well pleased,” according to Matthew Henry Commentary (MHC) of the two verses. Just like God took pleasure in what he made, we too can take pleasure in what he has done and continues to do in us. Rest is being satisfied and grateful for his sovereignty and Lordship.

Among rest being connected to contentment and pleasure, it can also be summarized by three critical points that are illustrated through various Scriptures in the Bible:  

    1. Rest is trusting in what God is doing and continues to do because it is sufficient and good.

Think back to when God made the earth. How many times does God make something in the beginning and Scripture says, “And God saw that it was good”? Seven times! This is sufficient work, God says, and I can rest in the quality work I have done.

Since we are not God, our attitudes about the work he has done should be less about us and more about how good he is. Rather than an attitude of entitlement, “God has done sufficient work through me, around me, and for my good, and I am grateful” should be our approach to every situation.

God shows us in Exodus 16 what rest looks like as a stressed out, distracted, scared, and vulnerable human being. In this passage, the Israelites are complaining, feeling their life of bondage with the merciless Egyptians was better (see Exodus 16:3) than the freedom they were supposedly experiencing with Moses. Before Moses goes to God, God hears the cries of the Israelites and promises to rain down bread from heaven. Moses then speaks to the Israelites, and puts them in their place, saying they are not grumbling against him, but God. Regardless, God provides and gives them just enough, as Exodus 16:17-18 says…

“The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much and some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.”

God made sure the people gathered just enough and did not worry about the next morning. Instead of resting in the sufficiency of the bread for that day, they worried about their future and hoarded it for the following morning. As a result, Exodus 16:20 happened:

“However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of [the bread] until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.”

 The consequence of their mistrust and doubt was loss of food. When you rely on worry instead of trusting in the provision of God, you idolize the bread over Him; you trust in the provisions instead of the provider.

The Israelites were notorious for their complaining and what I call zooming into their problems so much that they couldn’t focus on what God was doing through the struggle (click HERE for my thoughts about what to do when you zoom in too much); as a result, they considered slavery a better option than the freedom and deliverance from the hands of the Egyptians through Moses, Joshua, and the mighty hand of God (see Numbers 20:2-5). The Israelites were doing the opposite of resting: living in fear, bondage to bitterness, and constant complaining about their life being worse than the freedom they would experience. Instead of trusting in what God was doing for the Israelites, they complained their way to disbelief. When we complain rather than trust, we are no different than the Israelites.

    2. Rest with gratitude and through faith

If we turn our anxiety, worry, and doubt into gratitude for what God has done with our renewed mind and faith that God will continue to provide and protect, we will be surprised at the amount of freedom we step into. You can’t have gratitude without contentment, and you can’t take pleasure in what God is doing without having faith in what he can do in any circumstance. Having gratitude in what God has done and faith in what God will do allows us to rest in what God is currently doing.

Unfortunately, the Israelites failed to rest in contentment and trust that the bread they acquired for that day alone was enough.  To have full confidence that the Father would take care of their tomorrow is living by faith, but

With gratitude over what God had done to bring them as far as they had come and faith that God would continue to liberate them, the Israelites could have lived in the present and let God take care of their needs – being present meant resting in God’s provision for today. Sound similar? That’s because Matthew 6:31-34 says something to the same effect of what Exodus 16:17-18 says:

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Notice the end. Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. This is what God was saying to the Israelites through Moses. Need food not just for today? Take care of what I give you today, for today, and I will continue to take care of you one day at a time, for each day that you live. One day at a time is God’s motto when it comes to worry. Don’t remove yourself from what God is doing in and around you because you’re so focused on the future – be humble, thankful, and trust that he’ll take care of your today and your tomorrow.

    3. Rest is knowing God will protect you through all of the storms

If I were held prisoner on a ship headed into a massive storm that would likely destroy the ship I am on, I would freak out, and so would you. No need to waste time kidding yourself. You want to believe you’ll put your hope in God and won’t utter a cry for help. Easy to say, but like a 3^rd grader who forgot his lines for the school play, it's probable you’ll forget to put your hope in Jesus when the waves tear your ship, and likely you, in half.

Paul has the luxury of not only telling us he would remain calm knowing God would protect him, but he can actually say he did!

At this time, Paul is a prisoner and according to the accounts in Acts 27:18, the ship “took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.” In addition, the storm is described as so immense, “neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, [as a result, they] finally gave up all hope of being saved (Acts 27:20).”

Yet, what is Paul’s response? (Acts 27:22-25)

“I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost… and angel of the God whom I belong and whom I serve…said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul…God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Sounds like trust and faith to me. In spite of the storm, Paul, a prisoner – yes, you read that right: a prisoner – tells everyone aboard that they can take courage because of what God told him. This all happened in the midst of Paul’s first problem: being a prisoner in chains with preposterous accusations against him. Paul, here, is well aware of who is on his side and who will defend him, even if he has valid reasons to give up hope. This testimony in Paul’s life shows how having the self-discipline of knowing and responding to the power of God with hope can help you rest through any of life’s storms, no matter how big or small.

When we partner with God and rest in him, it isn’t justification to be lazy or take a day off from hard work; rather, it is incentive to be present and focus on the Father’s provisions now, in the present. Allowing God to take care of everything you need turns the limited control you have over your future to a resource who has unlimited capabilities to protect you and guide you through life’s twists, turns, trials, and obstacles. Simply put, resting in Almighty God gives you the power to be present while allowing him to take care of the rest, including your present situation.  The best part? You don’t even need a Sonoran Serenity Spa day or an epic golf outing with the boys. All you need is a little bit of gratitude, faith, trust, and confidence in the Lord, and you have the perfect recipe to rest in him, his promises, and his providence over your life.

Though, a spa day wouldn’t hurt.

 

How to Zoom Out of Our Struggle

It was the beginning of the one of the many school weeks throughout the year, the students were at PE, and I knew I had 35 minutes free to grade, check e-mails, lesson plan for the following week, and/or even clean out my personal desk drawers that symbolize my neglect to organize.

Instead, on my way back from dropping the students off at the gym, I found myself in the Dean’s pocket-sized office that comfortably fits three, but is often used as a therapist center for up to six students at a time. Aside from dean of K-6 students, Heather wears many hats between 7:30 and 3:30 including, but not limited to, school counselor, 504 extraordinaire, cross walk duty aid, morning drop-off and afternoon pickup monitor, and teacher evaluator.

At approximately 1:35, she becomes a crutch for a teacher to lean on when he is limping through the week on a Tuesday.

That teacher is me.

I drag myself into Heather’s office, wearing a button-down patterned shirt with purple sharks on it for no other reason than the hope that throughout the day, I would look down at the shirt I chose to wear and think, “I am wearing a shark shirt! What could go wrong? Only bright, shiny moments are ahead for me!” Unfortunately, the shirt did nothing to save me throughout the day, and my body language showed it.

Upon entering the small office, I stare at the two chairs on the left, neighbors to one another and pressed against the wall facing her desk like they would in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. I slump in it because that was all my energy could afford me. I didn’t have the time nor the energy to properly sit up as if being interviewed for a position at EDUPRIZE for the first time. Heather knew me well, having taught 5^th grade on the same team as me five or six years prior and seeing me step in and out of her office for a variety of reasons since she became the Dean of Students several years ago. Therefore, I no longer felt I was meeting her as one professional to another, but as a friend needing a fresh dose of encouragement and some good wisdom in order to move forward through the grueling school year.

The meeting was mostly about one particular child’s behavior irritating me because I simply could not transition through each subject smoothly with his distractive behavior from time to time. I wanted to stick to my mission statement by loving him like Jesus does, being a light to him and supporting him with unconditional service to his needs. The more I tried, the more worn out and bitter I became. Is trying to be like Jesus supposed to be like this? Draining? The thoughts I had were barely identifiable because of the fatigue I felt just thinking about the ways I needed to improve my approach to this student. I was zoomed in on the problem so much, I could hardly sit up straight enough to think of good solutions – every scenario that could help this child fell flat over imaginary worst-cases that would come out of it. Since I was zoomed in, any big picture opportunity to help the child grow was blurred out by the fear that all the strategies would leave more doubt and frustration.

A lot of words and strategies were exchanged that day in the meeting with Heather, bearing resemblance to those past meetings where you walk out so overwhelmed with all that was said, you don’t even recall the topic of the meeting. Yet, one thing Heather said rang in my ears louder than those ridiculous fire alarms that causes everyone to have severe hearing loss:

“Try to focus on the good things happening in your classroom, even if they don’t always come from him.”

Suddenly, I felt I didn’t need to hold on to every word, strategy, and encouragement Heather calmly spoke over me; that was it.

Did it dramatically change the way my school year went? Did it turn this child’s entire year around? Did it completely change the course of my entire career? No, and I would argue isn’t even the means to an end with this student. Ignoring the child’s struggles won’t redirect and lead him in the right direction. Still, it gave me something to work with, because Heather’s point was simple:

Don’t become so narrow-minded on the problems in front of you when so much good is happening, including the current struggle.

Yet, my struggle is common, and not exclusive to my profession. When we see an obstacle in front of us - whether that be a sour relationship, a mental struggle where you question your value, a workplace situation, or issues out of your control – we tend to zoom in on that problem and lose sight of what God could be doing through the circumstance; he may even be providing a way out!

In my Heather meeting, my way out was to see my classroom with a bigger scope while allowing the issues with the one student a chance to work itself out with the current strategies I had in place.

When we think of the Israelites of the Bible, the ones freed from bondage of the Egyptians, a word comes to mind: Complaining. The Israelites were constantly zoomed in on their problems and refused to see the good things around them – namely, God’s provision and protection!

Isaiah 43:18-19 speaks of God’s perspective, despite Israel’s constant complaining and remembrance of the old times in Egypt (Numbers 20:5 – “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”):

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

In other words, stop focusing on the problems and start living within God’s blessings.

Allowing God to take care of us by providing solutions – “making a way in the wilderness” – is how we can partner with Him to solve are greatest problems! We can see the good happening through the struggle and after it – “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up…” We cannot see God’s provision today by dwelling on yesterday’s problems.

This includes going through the struggle too! As I continued to press in through the struggles with the student, I began to shift my perspective by trusting that God was creating a new thing in the midst of my troubles. If I continued to receive the struggle as an irredeemable dilemma, I wouldn’t be able to zoom out enough to perceive the new thing God is doing through me and him.

In fact, we can have hope in the struggle, because even if we don’t see the fruit of our labor now, 2 Corinthians 4:17 promises us this nugget of good news:

“For our light and momentary struggles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

From a zoomed in perspective, where our problem takes up every square millimeter of our mind, we can’t make room for the Holy Spirit to give us a fresh perspective and even minimize our problem in view of God’s sovereign power and authority.

It is imperative that we partner with God to help us see what he sees in the middle of our storms and momentary struggles.

Do not waste any of your time trying to overcome your battles on your own. You may be able to temporarily wash away the struggle with a worldly lens, but eventually it will only keep you zoomed in to the problem more down the road; possibly even more than you were before you tried to sweep it under the rug.

The key is to hand over your struggle to God so he can adjust your lens and empower you to see the situation through his eyes. When you do that, you begin to entrust him to zoom you out so you can see the bigger picture of what he’s doing with that moment and through you.

Another way to describe God adjusting your lens is found in Romans 12:2:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Let God transform your perspective of the problem even if it is likely he won’t remove the problem. When you partner with him, though, it is guaranteed He will transform – adjust – your lens to see the problem differently; from his perspective.

This should be the first step towards conquering your daily obstacles: partnership with God. Declare it, too. Speak life over your partnership with God. Prioritize his voice in your life, because when you do, God will give you peace that cannot be found anywhere else on earth (see John 14:27).

Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Philippi, and in it, he gave the church the solution on how to replace anxiety and fear with peace from God. These verses, found in Philippians 4:6-7, are what partnership with God looks like:

“…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Pray. Praise. Present. Partnership with God means praying for his perspective to be made clear to you, praising him for all he is doing through you, and presenting your problems to him so he can take of you through them.

This is what zooming out looks like. When we pray, praise, and present, we not only partner with God through our problems, we also focus on the good through it, similar to me focusing on the good happening in my classroom. The best news is that this “good” is not limited to classrooms – this good is God, and he is our ever-present help in time of need.

And he is doing a new thing in and through you.

Do you perceive it?