I’d begun to wonder why my home life felt so – blah. I’d spent more time on distractions and time-wasters (hello, iPhone games, you know I’m talking about you) than in the Scriptures or interacting individually with my family. The need to escape the chaos of a household of 6 children had become almost tangible.
I’d spent quite a bit of time emotionally exhausted and needed rest. Somehow I had lost my way.
Sadly, I’d spent more time with my Kindle than seeking the face of my Lord. And my home had become… a mess. And one day, I looked up, and oh my, I felt utterly and completely alone.
The insanity of the situation was that I knew better.
I had walked with the Lord through some of the most challenging seasons of my life. He had held my hand and held me up when everything around me broke apart with the force of a massively destructive earthquake. As my life catastrophically came undone, those closest to me wondered how I stood.
They were right to question it.
Only by the power of the Holy Spirit had I been able to walk in peace. I had faith that it wasn’t my life at all. Instead, my life was God’s story, and I was convinced he would get the glory.
My faith was proved wisely placed when, because of His grace, everything destroyed was restored in the way only God restores.
Christ transformed my pain into a beautiful symphony of grace, mercy, and love.
I experienced some of the worst pain and betrayal possible for a woman to endure, and God blessed it, broke me, and rebuilt me.
Yes, I knew the kind of God I served, which made me realize that my aloneness was foolish.
“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)
Christ promises that each of us can experience His rest. Yet, Christ’s rest didn’t elude me. I had evaded Christ’s rest. God hadn’t neglected me. I had ignored God. I made an idol of coping mechanisms. I buried my head in the sand of distractions and busyness and buried my heart with it.
And I didn’t even realize it.
Have you ever been conversing with someone and suddenly started thinking about something else? You tune them out without even meaning to, and before you know it, you’ve missed a critical point or a pertinent question. We do that with God sometimes. We let life overwhelm us, and instead of drawing closer to our Savior, we draw closer to those things that entertain or distract us.
But distractions can be dangerous illusions.
They may ease the temporary burden of life on life’s terms, but they hinder the Holy Spirit’s voice and work in our hearts, minds, and lives. Sometimes, amid our conversation with God, we may zone out and find ourselves down a familiar but lonely path.
Yet even though we feel alone, we are never alone. Christ never leaves our side. Share on XUnlike people, God does not abandon us, and His love for us knows no limitations. He calls out to us, reaches out to us, and never lets us fall. Our God is trustworthy.
He knows that we can have spiritual ADHD and that our attention can waver. (As a mother of children with ADHD, I can relate) But, He is a loving Father and waits patiently for the opportunity to guide us back to His arms.
Yet, His rest is always there, waiting for us to receive. And just as quickly as I let Christ’s rest go, I embraced it.
I closed my Kindle and opened up my Bible.
I stopped avoiding my family and started investing in my family.
I turned off the television and turned on my worship music.
I stopped focusing on myself and asked, “How can I serve others?”
I closed out the games on my phone and began walking obediently in the tasks he had assigned me.
I wrapped my arms around Him and felt His arms wrap around me.
He doesn’t give up on us; we shouldn’t give up on ourselves. If you’ve been distracted by life or busyness, hold onto this truth: God has plans for you and a purpose – and
He. Adores. You.
Walking in Christ’s rests, calling out to Him, and listening for Him, is a lifestyle that enables us to hear the voice of our Savior.
“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
Today, ask yourself if you have entertained the illusion of a distraction that keeps you from an essential conversation with God. If so, don’t beat up on yourself. But, turn it off. Put it down. Lower the noise level, and rest in the arms of a loving God. He has something epic to say to you.
Trust me. It will be worth it.
For further study: Jeremiah 33:2-3, Matthew 11:28-29
For prayer on this topic, visit today’s Daily Hope & Prayer.
