Trying to Rest?

Today I have something I am going to post about rest....but before that I just have to say I am not very good achieving that goal

It seems like every time I seek some sort of rest and relief from the cares of this world more junk gets dumped upon me. No matter how hard I try and step back to take a deep breath and chill.... well lets just put it this way challenges arise.

As a child trying to survive all the abuse heaped upon me I dissociated to be able to find a refuge in my mind. If I had not had the ability to do that no doubt I would have not survived.

Now many years later and a whole lot of healing later, dissociating is not an option anymore. I have to meet life's junk head on. So, now the challenge is how to deal with it and survive with my brain still intact. Believe me it is a challenge!

I have heard people tell me what a blessed life I have.... well any life is blessed in my opinion just because it has managed to survive anything on this planet. Maybe the word is miraculous?

My life has always been hard and it still is.... I have had blessed moments but even then blessings always come with a price.

Do I sound cranky and bitter? Well I can be cranky and yeah sometimes even bitter not to mention angry. I have to admit I do not always run around praising God for allowing me to be here and all that is my life. Oops... did I admit that? Now what? Is the sky going to fall?

So with saying that I have to say this.... I do not always rest well, much less in peace. Am I a failure? Am I lacking faith?

It does often seem to me that just when it feels like I am getting on my feet and brushing off my pants from the last fall I find myself on my butt again. Am I ever going to learn? Will I ever get this? In my opinion.... probably not. So the sixty four thousand dollar question is.... how do I live with this and get any rest at all and survive this life?

The only thing I know is written below.... and I am so not there yet. I am a work in progress...

THE PLACE OF REST

(Matthew 11:29)



Most people have their idea of rest. For me it is to stop all other activities and read a good book. However, in this fast-paced world, it can be hard to stop. The reason it can prove to be hard to stop is because of the momentum that often drives people. For example, the momentum that drives me is time is short and I want to finish all the projects that I have started in relationship to my spiritual life. In reality such work may not be completed because there will always be demands or responsibilities tugging at each of us.

When we think of rest, we often relate it to a state of rest. The reality of true rest is that we must come to a place of rest in order to experience an inner state of rest. The world is not only one big pigpen of vanity, but it is battleground where the soul finds itself in constant conflict.

The motivation or momentum behind this conflict is selfishness. Man wants his way so that his emotional state will experience joy. He wants to be right so that his mind will not be caught up with uncertainty and doubt. He wants to ensure that his will is carried out so that all can be well with his world. However, man finds himself at odds with those in his world that are also motivated by their selfishness.

Jesus understood this conflict well. He invited everyone to come to a place of rest. In summary, come to Him and He will give each of us the vital rest for our soul that so many are seeking in the midst of the rubble and tombs of the world. Remember, the person of Jesus is an actual place. He is the Prince of Peace, and the only one capable of bringing rest to our restless and tormented souls.



Thought: The real rest we often seek is the rest from the momentum caused by personal demands, expectations, responsibilities, and turmoil of life.



©2010 Rayola Kelley, Gentle Shepherd Ministries. Permission is granted for
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