Sunday, March 29, 2009

Seeking Rest For My Soul...A Week Long Series

(The following is a page out of my journal)

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. (Mt. 11:28)

There seems to be a place of peace and rest that I do not seem to stay at very long. I consider myself to be fairly surrendered. I trust You completely... well, maybe just in certain areas.


It seems easy to trust You in the really big things in life, those things that are pretty much out of my control, So why do I still feel unrest in my soul? Why do I strive and strive? Why does my mind go a million miles an hour? Why do I feel the need to figure everything out? To constantly battle the uncertainty of next week, or next month?


I seem to think I trust you with everything. But you know what? I don't think I do. Maybe a hundred times in any given day I give way to fretting, trying to figure something out, needing to know, NOW! It is a constant underlying, sometimes subtle, sometimes not, anxiety deep within.


No wonder I struggle to maintain joy. It's no wonder I'm edgy and snap when interrupted. I'm probably deep in thought and anxiety trying to figure out my next move, or trying to solve some future problem.


It's like my fretting, anxiety-producing overthinking, causes cracks in this vessel, and the joy, peace, rest and calm just oozes right out! I get all filled up, think right thoughts, cast burdens, and not two steps into my day I am taking on something I shouldn't. There it goes, I hear a little crack. Something comes across my path I just need to figure out NOW. . . crack. A thought about what I am going to do about "xyz" next week . . . crack. Are we on the right path? Crack!


This feels like what I call 'Christianity 101'. Something that seems so foundational, it seems I should know this by now.


I deceive myself when I think that just because I am at a place of trust and peace with what I consider the 'big' things, yet live almost daily with angst and fretting.


This seems huge to me. I seem to have lost my peace lately. I feel as I sit here and meditate on this thatYou reveal one thought after another, like a movie playing. I foolishly take on these thoughts myself instead of joyfully resting and trusting You to order my steps, to lead and guide, to take care of my every need. I am utterly inferior at figuring all this out. You are my Father, You know what is best.


And so I pray. . .

My Father, who art in heaven, you are my Father, you alone know what is best. Holy, holy, holy, is Your name Lord. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, not mine but Yours. Give me today just my daily bread. I trust you with all my needs. By your spirit cause me to take my thoughts captive, to rest, to trust you in all things, even the tiny day to day.

Do you struggle to trust Him in the small things of life?

Is there an area/areas that you just can't seem to surrender? You hold on so tightly, trying to figure it out?

Each day this week, Lord willing ;-), I am going to post some scripture and perhaps some thoughts on how it speaks to me pertaining to this subject. My hope is to renew my mind with His truth and take my thoughts captive as I seek to trust Him in all things.

Please feel free to join in and share your heart. Leave a comment, share a prayer or scripture or even write a post on your blog and leave your link in your comment.

4 comments:

Jennifer said...

Wonderful post...looking forward to your verses throughout this week and I will meditating on these thoughts. Do I truly trust Him...or really just in those areas where I don't have much choice - that are out of my control? I want to fully trust Him each step of each day. Thanks.

Mary said...

I have trouble trusting in all areas. It is like C. S. Lewis said, "It is not that we necessarily don't trust that God wants the best for us. It is just that we are wondering how bad the best is going to turn out to be!"

My sentiments exactly. I have an over-active imaginatin: What horrible thing does God have to allow to come into my life in order for me to grow! Eeeek!

Michele said...

Great post! I've been following along for a few weeks now but never commented....I've got a brand new baby, so maybe that's why. :) Thanks for this post, it certainly spoke to me. I look forward to reading the posts for the coming week. This blog blesses me! Thank you!

FreshWhippedStitches said...

I am amazed! I had to bury my head in the sand for several days and avoid the computer almost entirely because I just felt crippled with life in general.....I came over to visit and what I am reading here is like an exact echo of what I posted today! Please come over and visit me if you have time. Praying for you! xo