Slowing down may seem obvious and simple, but for some (and by some, I mean me too!), it's not. Our lives are jam-packed with relationships, families, chores, careers, church, church family, volunteering, hopefully recreation, and IF there's time- having a little time to yourself. But balancing those areas can easily end up being a chore in itself. And I confess- I get overwhelmed and in that state-of-mind too! BUT I'm honestly just making those things more important than Christ. Ouch. That reality is down right ugly, but it's so true! And even though that overwhelming feeling is real- we don't have to let it linger! We also don't have to let those areas feel like a chore. I think we can live out our lives, feeling the freedom that Christ brings- even in the mundane! This takes slowing down.
Slowing down can look different in so many ways! It can mean taking an evening to do nothing, exercising, going on a date with the hubby, taking a break from social media, hanging out with friends without an agenda, taking 5 minutes to breathe and shut your eyes at work, calling a family member, meditating and praying, and the list could go on forever! Obviously slowing down can look different for each person! And even though "finding rhythms of rest," (as our pastor says!) is important, it seems to go deeper than physical rest- because of that, suggestions and self-help books, honestly, will ultimately end up in the back of our minds or on a shelf collecting dust. It's easy to try things for a while and then be back in the same old habit again (hey, that's part of being human, right?)...what's not easy, but profound and life-changing- is living your life every day, running to our savior and allowing him to make something of our mundanes. This takes BEing Christ in all those areas of life- this takes opening our eyes and hearts! Unfortunately, our human eyes and heart.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves,
but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said, "Let your light shine out of darkness,"
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
Something that comes with being human- we can tend to see and feel things incorrectly. We can tend to see each area of our life separated from the other, which can separate our hearts! I'm going out on a limb and saying we aren't always truly seeing life correctly. We should see areas in life as intertwined and surrendered under Christ's grace and mercy. Doing so, we most often realize we can't "do life" on our own. And thankfully even when we think we can- he's still there to clean up our mess! Where am I going with this? I know it may seem like a tangent, but I promise it's going somewhere ;) Realizing we don't always see things correctly, helps us realize our need for community. REAL community. The kind that lives life with you, knows your ugliness and failures, and comes together with the common bond of waking up daily to serve Him- failures and ALL! Whatever stage of life you're in- you still need community. You still need support and direction after your eyes and heart are opened. But what about opening our eyes and heart up in the first place? That's not always easy either...
Ultimately, opening our eyes and heart isn't always easy, because let's face it- not everything in our society is beautiful- not everything in our world is beautiful! Everyday children wake up hungry, without clothes, or without parents. Every day adults wake up with addictions, no jobs, and no self-worth, but that doesn't mean there isn't beauty there. That doesn't mean God isn't working. When we see things through our perspective, most of the time we see the ugly and the negative. But by replacing our sight with his- we can see beauty in pain...beauty in heart-ache. We can see beauty instead of ashes.
Because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor,
he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor,
and on the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant those who mourn in Zion-
to give them a beautiful headdress
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD that he may be glorified.
They shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
Isaiah 61:1-4
This is so hard. I don't have all the answers...I don't know why some things happen...I don't always pay attention...and I struggle with this daily. But I want to. Why? Because this is true discipleship. Feeling raw and real emotions is a gift- it's not a curse. And we can't ignore it. True discipleship is why we slow down and open our eyes and hearts to his word and direction- so we can feed the hungry, provide shelter, provide clothing, heal emotional wounds, and parent the parent-less- it's a life that doesn't stop with emotions and it's a life worth living.
So, why put forth effort in this? Because slowing down and opening our eyes and hearts will show people Jesus, which provides life, takes away guilt and shame, and ultimately will provide rest. And thankfully the burden isn't on us friends! Christ took that burden and poured it out on the cross. We NEVER have to carry it. We just have to attempt to obey him with the best of our abilities.
The big thing to take from this-You can overcome being overwhelmed. Even in times of exhaustion and irritation (because that does happen)- we can be reminded by our ever-so patient savior, that every creation is his- molded and shaped with special purpose and love, and it's not by me that love is given, but by him! So let go of it all- give it to him, don't be scared to see and feel, love everywhere you go, accept and build community, truly live life with others, and find rest in him! I encourage you to take a minute wherever you go- allow him use you. Love on people, extend generosity, BE JESUS...Find beauty instead of ashes.
Side-note (I really like those for some reason!): I want to be intentional about this in my own life, so I'm going to start a continual blog of some sort called, Beautiful Things. I'm going to post once a week (or whenever really) about the ways Christ reveals his beauty to me. I hope this might help and challenge you to also find beauty. After all, we are in this journey together!
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