Salmos 46:10 - "Estad quietos, y conoced que yo soy Dios" (Spanish)
Psaume 46:10 - "Arretez, et saschez que je suis Dieu" (French)
Salmos 46:10 - "Qquietai-vos, e sabei que eu sou Deus" (Portuguese)
Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God." (English)
Finally. Plain English. My language. The message came through loud and clear. Do you ever feel this way? Like God is trying to tell you something, but you don't understand the message? Or you're too busy to hear Him above the noise of life? Or, maybe you hear Him, but you're too busy to slow down long enough to obey? No? Well, me either. So, I have this friend...
Lets recap the last two months of my friends life.
After three flat tires since May, which is excessive, my friend gets a flat tire the week of Aug 30th. She has a long list of errands to run that day, but the flat has to be fixed. While waiting at the repair shop, my friend realizes that her day will have to be re-planned since the repair takes about an hour and with a little one that still naps, the window of opportunity for morning errands is quickly closing. Frustrating.
Week of Sept 6th - Flat tire #2. Repeat week ones scenario and perfectly timed plans are changed again. Mind you this is week three of a reoccurring cough that she's finally trying to deal with by getting a much needed inhaler.
Week of Sept 13th - Flat tire #3 (this is actually flat #6 since May, two of which resulted in needing brand new tires). How is this possible?! She's wracking her brain to think of where she's been driving to keep getting screws/nails in her tires. All while vowing to never drive through another construction zone again.
Also, the week of Sept 13th - Said friend gets injured playing coed soccer and it's deemed a Bone Bruise, which is a small hidden fracture on a bone close to the surface. This injury is very painful and takes approx four weeks to heal. She's now trying to make a connection between her physical body (leg injury) and the flat tire ... is this a sign to slow down? To rest?
Week of Sept 27th - My friend has an old back injury from playing sports in college and it flares up a couple of times a year. When she feels her back starting to get weak, she goes in for a chiropractic adjustment and all is well. However, this time, it flares up right before leaving for an eight day cruise. She forgoes cramming an adjustment in the day before leaving town since she's busy packing her family for said trip. So, she takes Ibuprofen the week of vacation to deal with the disk bulging in her back, which is pushing on her sciatic nerve causing pain to shoot down her left leg. Delightful.
Week of Oct 11th - My friend returned home from her cruise, bad back and all, just in time to play her weekly coed soccer game the following day ... all while knowing that she will have to make time for a back adjustment that week to relieve her back pain. During the game, she pulls her back multiple times and is in worse pain than before. Not wise. She has two chiropractic adjustments that week that don't give much relief.
Week of Oct 18th (this week) - Having not learned her lesson, she played coed soccer again, and whatever improvement was done to her back last week is reversed and she's right back where she was a week ago pain wise. My friend is stub-born! Two adjustments this week and she's starting to feel some relief. Her doctor tells her not to play soccer for one to two weeks.
Also, this week, her husband started news hours at work that will allow him to work longer days Mon-Thurs, but be home on Friday's. This is awesome news for her family, but my friend knows this means that she can't attend Bootcamp in the early morning twice a week, which she's done for the past three years.
During this season of flat tires, leg/back injuries, and life changes, her thoughts change. Her mind starts to shift. Friends speak life into her and Rest is the underlying theme of their conversations. Rest is hard. It shouldn't be, but it is. Her friends pray over her and they speak Rest over her without even knowing all of the details of her life. Psalm 46:10 is spoken over her more than once. Be. Still. How do they know the message that shes been struggling to hear? Each conversation, each prayer, draws her closer to the message and she begins to receive it. Rest. Be still.
I'm sure you've figured out by now that the "friend" is me. I SO struggle with rest. It's not in my nature to be at ease, to be still, and to ultimately realize that what is not done today can be done tomorrow. We live in a world of haste and I'm right there in the mix ... with my foot on the gas ... setting the pace ... faster.
It was laid upon my heart weeks ago to get up early to do a daily devotional, but my schedule didn't allow it. Don't get me wrong, I love devotionals, but not now. Not with Bootcamp two mornings a week and running three mornings a week. Evenings? Out of the question. I'm busy coaching my daughters soccer team, taking another daughter to dance, teaching the Pre-School kids at church for the Christmas program, and building a business. All things that I love to do. No time.
No time for God?
What message am I sending the One who loves me so deeply that He gave His life for me?
No time for the one who listens intently at every word that comes from my mouth?
No time for the one who makes time for me every. single. day. whether I thank Him or not?
Why am I so stubborn?
Why must God physically slow me down to get my attention?
God is clearly calling me to a season of Rest. It's time. I'm striving to be obedient and to embrace this season. To be intentional about Rest. I spent a day this week shifting events on my calendar next week to the following week (baby steps) so that I can Rest. Sure, there are things that can't be changed, but I am changing the others. I also started my morning devotionals this week and I'm already reaping the benefits. I'm reading through The 40 Day Prayer Journal for the third time this year because it's that good. Or, is it that I'm that much in need of Him, again?
