Wednesday, 16 July 2008
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Simplicity! Simplicity! Simplicity!
from goken
I long to simplify my life. Our culture busies us too much. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements. No one hesitates to attack all of our senses.
It seems that no matter how much I cut out of my life, it's a constant struggle to stay above the surface. We're drowning so deeply in information that it can be difficult to hear one's own thoughts.
That is why I am always thirsty for nature. I understand the Romantics' belief in the power of restoration inherent in the natural world. God's created beauty helps to calm me. I'm glad that tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. I hope that God's grace is evident in that way.
It's very hard to keep the Sabbath. I think that's why it's a commandment. If people naturally acknowledged their limits, if people knew when to quit, when to take a break, and how to rest, God wouldn't have needed to say it. I've been learning to do it better, but I still have a long way to go. Honestly, it's easier for me at college than it is at home. I think it's because being home encourages me to fall into old routines of busy-ness.
Tomorrow--should the aforementioned grace permit--I am going to fly a kite in a grassy field in order to remind myself to rest.
Do you ever forget to just pause? What are some of the ways that you take a break from the busy-ness of life?
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Comments (8)
Great thoughts. Having a chronic illness has forced me to rest in ways I didn't even understand before. My priorities have changed significantly, and I believe rest is one of the most important things we do. It allows us to quiet ourselves and re-center on God's love.
Isaiah 28:12 says that God has a place of rest for us, and I find comfort in that. In the busy times, if I take time to connect with Him, then I feel rest that comes from inside me regardless of what is around me. God is always at rest, and when I tap into Him, I am drawn into His rest.
I agree that nature is amazingly restful. John Eldridge said that after his friend (and co-author) Brent Curtis died, he was so broken that beauty was the only thing that comforted him. I believe that nature's beauty reflects the beauty in God's being and that when we experience its beauty we are seeing reflections of Him. Perhaps that is why nonbelievers often deify nature. They sense something that transcends human experience.
I think you made a very good point about the sabbath being a commandment because it's so hard to keep-at least in here in the states where there is a constant push of 'more, more, more' and everything is open on Sundays. Advertising is always pushing 'more", "better' and "you deserve to pamper yourself'. In other words, you can rest better when you spend money on yourself and if you go into debt, well you're worth it, right? If you don't take care of yourself, then who will?
How about God? The truth is, most people have more than enough, they just don't recognise it. They want more and they are too busy to 'be still and know I am God' (psalms 46:10)In the past few years I have had to take care of an terminally ill husband, my parents and his. It has put things in perspective when you realize how little time you have on this earth. That realization doesn't lead to "I must DO more", but rather "I must appreciate more'. I have learned to find grace and beauty in everyday things. It didn't happen overnight, but it happened. Recognise that you have all you need and all you need is enough.
We all need to realize what a blessing God gave us in having one day set aside for His Worship and our rest. Thank you for reminding us of that.
The Sabbath is for rest, yes, and for reflection on our relationship with our Father through Jesus. It was set up in such a way that after the Sabbath service families or larger groups would gather to eat and discuss the readings, teachings and anything else that stuck out to them about the service.
I have no problem resting. When I need rest I lay on the couch and watch a couple of movies. However, I don't necessarily feel refreshed - not like I would if I had had some discussion about the Lover of Our Souls. These talks refresh the spirit which is usually most in need of refreshing.
@AngelBeast777@xanga - See, in my opinion, there's a big difference between being entertained and resting. Sitting on the couch watching a movie isn't Sabbath-ing. It's not true rest.
The Sabbath is a principle for Christians, not a day. We're not subject to the law and don't have to observe any Sabbath day. It's the principal God teaches in it that is important. The idea of being silent and just breathing. I try to do that everyday, but most days it's a struggle for me.
Discussing Scripture is awesome and necessary, but I don't know that it follows in the principle of resting. It can totally energize me, too. Silence is what I seek most when I try to Sabbath, though. And that is truly fleeting.
Very good thoughts. I also long for a very simple life. One thing that helps me is not having cable tv, so I don't have to see all the advertisements!! I'm definitely not missing it (now if I can just control the time I spend on the computer!).
On the weekends, I try to get everything I possibly can done on one day so my husband and I can relax and recharge on the other day. We sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, talk a lot, and just kick back.
Lately I've been feeling the pressure of getting everything done because our baby is due in less than a month. I find myself very tired at the end of the day, and often a little more cranky than usual. To help alleviate that, I went to the pool today and just enjoyed being outside, swimming, and relaxing in the sun with a good book. It was a nice break. While swimming, I even got to work on my slow deep breathing techniques.
I hope you enjoy flying your kite tomorrow!! That sounds like a lot of fun!
@Goken - Good points all, Goken. You brought to mind the evening in our small group when we began to wait on our Father to lead us into what He would have us do together that evening. We could wait in silence no more than 30 minutes before several of us were scowering our Bibles for some word that might jump out at us, and the music leader was flipping desperately through her music book looking for which song He would inspire. Finally, she played a song she wanted to play and it fell dead. We talked afterward and decided we were to wait further.
We waited all night until everyone left. The next week He had us do the same - wait. We waited for 2.5 hours before He moved on one person to pray for another. Then group was over.
We are not good at waiting in silence. It is a necessary skill. Thank you for reminding me.
It's hard for me to remember that God created nature for us; for our enjoyment and to make life easier to bare. And keeping the Sabbath is hard for me as well! I just have enough time during the week to do everything I need to, so I get very tempted on Sunday to do those things. Great post!