A Thought on Trying to Rest Ah, sabbath. Let me tell you, it’s a lot easier to talk about rest than it is to actually rest. My husband almost had to go in to work, I had to clean out the refrigerator (certainly not by choice, but life happened), and because of that the trash had to go out. For the most part, it was restful. And, best of all, the entire family got to go hear Skip Moen speak at the church where I occasionally lead worship in Ocoee! That part was awesome! We’re actually going back this morning to the 9am and 11am services to hear part 2 and 3 of his talk. It’ll be interesting to see how the little monkeys hold up to the second service since it starts (and ends) so late. I suspect they’ll be fine, but will be pretty darn tired (and hungry) on the ride home. Ah well. So, I started reading two books yesterday (yes, I do read two; it’s the add/multi-tasker in me): Hearing God (Dallas Walker) and Pagan Christianity (Frank Viola and George Barna). Both are very interesting. Here are some thoughts about chapter 1 of Hearing God: God’s Will One thing I liked is how Willard describes God’s will. As a parent I may tell my kids to go and play. I don’t tell them what room to play in or with what toys or in what manner (although I do expect them to play nicely). God’s will is similar. God doesn’t always micromanage life. Sure, there are some times when He is very specific, especially when there’s a particular purpose He wants accomplished, but He just expects us to live according to His Torah. Just keep living until He says otherwise. Abraham spent three years between the times when God talked to him. In that time, he just lived. Also, building on something Willard said later in the chapter, God builds character in us so that we know how to “play” appropriately and nicely with others. As He shapes me to be more like Him, my character and actions are more like His, and I think more like Him. Therefore, I am more likely to do things in a manner which pleases Him. I’m also more likely to know what and where His will is happening because I’m more like Him. And that comes through the tough process of reshaping my character. Strain One of my favorite things in this chapter, that I liked so much I read it to John, is a story he told about a time when he was under a lot of strain and one day God told him to pull his car over. God said, “My Son had strains that you will never know, and when He had those strains, He turned to Me, and that’s what you should do.” Several thoughts occurred to me about that quote: First, I think I tend to assume I know the strains that Yeshua endured because we have the “gospels” about His life. But, if I really think about it, there’s an awful lot missing from the gospels about His life. He lived a lot more than what we have there. There were probably a lot of times when Yeshua was strained that none of the gospel authors wrote about. Second, I need to stop trying to solve everything myself. I need to remember to let God be god. I wasn’t made to carry everything myself. I need to remember to turn to Him for help. And occasionally, turn to others in my community, too. I’ve realized that this is an area I struggle in. I’m okay at turning to God, but I really struggle with letting other people help me/us out. I don’t know if it’s pride, or if it’s awkward because I feel like I owe them something, or what it is, but I have a tough time with this. For example, Skip’s putting together a cruise for the people who read Today’s Word and I posted that I didn’t think we could go. Ostensibly my excuse is the boys (and yes, it makes me a little nauseous thinking about them getting close to the rails), but truthfully, we just can’t afford to pay for4 (or even 2) of us to go. I didn’t post that part because I don’t want people to think I’m asking them to pay for us to go. Yes, it would be nice to be able to go, but because it always seems to be the financial aspect that holds us back, I don’t want to raise the issue again. It’s probably pride. I don’t know. And last, knowing God’s will cannot be about controlling the future or minimizing risk. Desiring to control the future or minimize rise or secure safety/comfort may indicate a preoccupation with ME, instead of a focus on God.