Time for a little relaxation

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." (Matthew 6:33)

Everyday human concerns - we all have those, don't we? What to eat for dinner tonight - what to wear to that upcoming special event - where to get our car repairs done so you don't get ripped off by some untrustworthy mechanic - common human concerns. We spend so much time with the everyday human concerns that we sometimes miss the very important message that they ALL have already been met! The best move we can make when these concerns surface is just 'relax' into Jesus - he has it all under control. 

That doesn't mean the dress will magically appear in our closet, or that there will be blinking neon lights telling us this is the mechanic we should use, but it does mean we don't have to fret over these things. God will help us sort all of them out - when we relax and find our direction in him. Fussing over things - no matter what they are - isn't going to make them come faster or be any better than when he provides as he will provide.

Sometimes we are so preoccupied with the 'everyday stuff' that we forget God in the mix of all that preoccupation. We forget he is with us. We forget he goes before us. We forget he hears us even before we cry out. Why? Where there is preoccupation, there is no room for occupation! We need to rid ourselves of all that 'preoccupies' the space in our lives that he desires to indwell. When we are finally 'empty' of what preoccupies us, he is free to bring his peace and relaxation into our lives.

Fret if you must, but I have come to realize it matters very little - I have wasted precious time fretting. I have filled my life with useless actions, all in the name of 'everyday human concerns', only to find there will be tons more tomorrow. Worry isn't going to make the answer come quicker. Relaxing into Jesus just might bring what we don't expect, when we least expected it. Relaxing into Jesus is really just a way of showing him how much we rely upon him. Just sayin!

Overdue?

If it has been a long while since you have been able to get away on vacation or to a quiet spot on a beach, high in the mountains, or just alone by a pool somewhere, then you know there is nothing more renewing than a little retreat. I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal". I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday. Some would have called me a little too retentive to let things go and let others take the reins for a while so I could enjoy time away. I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do!

You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. (Psalm 119:114)

The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best move we make - even when we know there are a whole lot of other 'movements' that need to be made. That very movement into a place of what appears to be a lack of movement is actually bringing us to a place of refuge. Within that refuge, there is privacy for the planning of the next movements we will make and for the clarity that can come when movement ceases for a while and we can just stand back and look. The opposite of retreat is advancement. There are very specific times when we need to pull away, step back, and allow God to change our focus long enough to impact our plans for the next steps we take. Advancement may not be possible until we have had a moment of retreat!

We might find we have a tendency to make others our place of retreat. When things aren't going as we'd like, we sometimes find ourselves gravitating to the comfort of sounding off to another individual. There is nothing wrong with having a trusted friend. Yet, there are times when the best person to hear about"our issues is not our trusted friend, but God himself. We have to guard against using our trusted friends to be what God deserves to be in our lives. If we really desire the clarity for our next move, God will use our friends to help us by giving us the confirmation of what he gives us when we seek him first. Be careful, though, because we have a tendency to make God operate on our schedule and that may not be his schedule for the issue. The fact is, times of retreat may be necessary long before we feel we are ready for them. We often don't realize how "ready" we were for the benefits of retreat until we have enjoyed the blessing of that time away from what it is that had us all wound up so tight in the first place!

We often don't understand the joy of quiet until we have stepped away from the chaos of the daily battles. In the midst of the fray, we seldom realize that we have no real sense of peace. I am not just referring to the absence of noise, but the real sense of inner assurance that comes from knowing that what you are engaged in is exactly as it should be, in the exactly correct timing, and with the exactly correct steps being taken. In the times of retreat, there is often a "re-ordering" of our steps. Until we enjoy the quiet place, we pretty much won't see with clarity the next steps we need to take. We have a hard time with the waiting part of retreat. Just as soldiers pull back into periods of planned retreat, we need to do the same. In the retreat or pulling back, time is given for healing, fortification, and just enjoying each other a little. To be at our best, there are times when "waiting" is the best "action" we can take!

Not sure where you find yourself today, but if you have been hitting it hard, you may be ready for a little retreat from the chaos of your circumstances. The fact remains, no one can run at full speed forever - we all need times of retreat. It may take some doing, some adjusting of your priorities, but you will find the benefits of retreat far outweigh the constant plugging away under the pressures of your day. I don't believe "retreat" times always need to be extended weekends away from home in some cabin on the mountain top, long vacations away from phones and emails, or periods of sabbaticals from your professional pursuits. I do believe they need to be frequent, dedicated times of rest. Times when God is able to renew us at the very center of our being. Wherever, and however that is accomplished in your life - do it! You don't realize the benefit of retreat until you have taken the opportunity to experience it! Just sayin!

What you steeping in?

I saw something on Facebook this morning which read:  "Make God your first priority...not your last resort". Short and sweet, but quite pointed.  In the King James Bible, a passage came to mind:  "Seek first the kingdom of God..."  At this time of year, it is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of seeking all kinds of bargains - carried away in a shopping frenzy as you go hither and yon for this or that.  In the end, you will encounter what you do each and every other year - empty packages, lots of wrapping everywhere, and all within under an hour!  All those hours of finding the "right gift" or shopping for the "bargains" will have resulted in about one hour of screams of delight, moments of praise, and even some raised eyebrows at the annual package of socks!  Then as quickly as the packaging was emptied of its contents, the "recipients" zero in on the "ONE" thing which they really "treasure" from their pile.  

What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting,so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.  (Matthew 5:32-33 MSG)

I use this passage this morning because it really captures well what I feel in my heart.  The season of giving is enjoyed so much more when you are able to keep the right perspective.  It is the gifts God bestow which have eternal value - all others simply pale in comparison.  Yes, some need a new set of pots and pans since their old ones are scarred from repeated wear and handles are loosened to unsafe proportions.  Others do indeed need the socks as their tootsies are about worn through the ones they have on today.  Yet, we often lose perspective in the "giving".  We think the gift WE give is meant to fulfill the desires of the hearts of the ones we find ourselves shopping for.  In reality, only ONE gift really fulfills the heart - Christ and Christ alone.

My daughter braved the "Black Friday" crowds this year.  We stayed home!  No sense in all that messy competition for the bargains in my book.  What she shared did not surprise me.  Lines circling buildings, people shoving each other, women telling other women they'd have to "settle" for another color of comforter as they had already staked claim to the green one!  People, get a grip here!  Life is not found in the bargains!  

Here's what God says:

- I am trying to get you to relax - to not be so preoccupied!  Don't miss it - God is focused on getting us to a position of not being "preoccupied".  Do you know what this really means?  It means to be so completely engrossed in some pursuit, manner of thought, or task that you are "absorbed" by it.  No wonder we cannot relax!  Recently, I had to break out my trusty bottle of carpet cleaner spray and a damp rag - getting down on my knees anymore is not the easiest task.  I needed to address a couple of areas where something had been "absorbed" into the fibers of the carpet.  You see, I had "worked" these areas before!  Yet, something was so deeply "absorbed" - worked into the fibers so as to resist the initial scrubbing.  I remembered how much we "absorb" of the stuff around us, sometimes not even noticing how much of the "stuff" is being worked into the fibers of our lives.  Now, chew on that one a little.

- Fussing is really a sign of unbelief.  Yep, you heard me.  Look at the passage again if you don't agree.  Jesus said it - "People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things..."  He had just given a lengthy explanation to the disciples about not being so caught up in what the latest style is, who should sit at the head of the table, or what you should fill your bellies with.  Instead, they were to be concerned with where they placed their real treasure.  "The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."  But...we know God - so stop all the fussing!  Learn to relax "into" Jesus.  I think of this as what it was like to be close to another, really free to just melt into their embrace and just "chill" there for a while.  God's greatest delight is in our "chilling" moments in his full embrace.

- Get right focus and keep it.  The passage refers to us "Steeping our lives IN God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provisions."  Mom is a tea drinker.  Every morning, I open the fresh tea bag from its little envelope.  Placing it in the cup, I pour boiling hot water over the tiny bag.  In just moments, the clear water turns a rich amber color.  What is happening is the process of "steeping".  The tea bag is soaking in what it is surrounded by, and in turn, the little leaves inside begin to soften, releasing the richness of their bounty. I think we are often "steeping" in the stuff which just gets soaked up and then "taints" what is released.  What we surround ourselves with is most important in determining what will be released from the "steeping".

Keep perspective this year.  Don't get caught up in the frenzy.  Enjoy the relaxation of resting in God's embrace.  You might actually find yourself getting something very "rich" from the experience.  Just sayin!

R&R - Relax and Rest

^12-19 What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me?
   I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!  I'll pray in the name of God; I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it together with his people.  When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him.  Oh, God, here I am, your servant, your faithful servant: set me free for your service!  I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of God.  I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, and I'll do it in company with his people, in the place of worship, in God's house, in Jerusalem, God's city.
   Hallelujah!

(Psalm 116:12-19)

This psalm opens with, "I love God because he listened to me", and ends with "I'll complete what I promised God I'd do".  In the middle, the psalmist lays out the all too soon forgotten truth that it is God that sets things right in a man's life - not man himself.  So, the psalmist's question about what he can give back is really not a question of "repaying" God for his continual deliverance, but of giving something of meaning to the one who loves him so much.  The psalmist wants to do more than present a warm "thank you" to God for his many blessings.  He wants to bless the heart of God!  Here is how he intends to do just that:

1)  I will lift high the cup of salvation!  In other words, he will put on display the grace of God in his life.  He will be a living testimony of the deliverance of God.  In so doing, he proclaims the greatness of God's love and the faithfulness of his provision.

2)  I will pray in the name of God.  That may seem like a "given" to you, but in the times this was written the nation was surrounded by all kinds of false gods.  Religions abounded, giving "choice" to man as to who deserved the "glory and honor" for what had occurred.  There were gods for the seasons, gods for fertility, gods for the weather, and gods of war.  To the psalmist - there is but ONE God - and to him he will pray!  Today, we are afforded a whole lot of "other" sources for what occurs.  We have the god of Wall Street to blame or thank for our financial status.  We have the god of media to fashion our thoughts.  You name it, we got it!  It is the intention of the psalmist's heart to have no other God before his one true God!  It should be the intention of our hearts, as well.

3)  I will complete what I promised God I would do - and I will do it alongside my brothers and sisters in the Lord.  The psalmist is concerned that his commitment to God be "lived out" in his daily life.  In the moment of truth, will we step up to what we promised God we'd do?  In our comfort, we seldom remember the promises we make in the times of distress.  The psalmist has made a promise (a vow) - committing himself to a set course of conduct.  He will follow-up on that commitment - and he will not do it alone - he has his brothers and sisters alongside.  When we are weak in our fulfillment of our vows, perhaps we'd do well to invite another to stand alongside as we take the steps toward faithfulness that we have promised!

4)  I desire to be of service to you, God.  The outcome of his soul's deliverance is that he desires to be of service to the one who has done so much in redeeming him and keeping him safe along the way.  There is nothing more rewarding to God than to see his children lifting hands in praise to him.  The heartfelt worship of our Lord stirs his heart and lifts him high in exultation.  The psalmist "connects" with God through heartfelt worship.  

We often forget the many blessings of our God.  That is one reason that I journal my studies and why I share what God does through the written word we share in this blog.  God has done much to transform a sinful soul - he deserves the honor due his name!  Man cannot "repay" God for the many blessings in his life, but he can give two things in return:  his heart and his commitment to fulfill his vows.  The heart connects him with God - the desire to fulfill the vows he has made is a direct result of his gratitude toward his Lord.  

Here are the words of the psalmist - words that suggest that he is at peace and his soul is at rest.  This is not because of what he has done, but because of the faithfulness of what God continually does!  Let this be our prayer of both meditation and praise on this day.  See if it doesn't change your perspective a little today to "relax and rest" by remembering that it is God who is in control, who delivers, and who sets all things right!

^7-8 I said to myself, "Relax and rest.
      God has showered you with blessings.
      Soul, you've been rescued from death;
      Eye, you've been rescued from tears;
      And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling."