A few years ago, I started choosing a word each year to marinate on. For 2017, that word was rest. Honestly, I mostly forgot about it being a part of my year until New Year's Day when the obligatory reflections on the last 365 days started. At the start of 2017, I thought a lot about rest. What does rest look like in my life? Do I rest well? How can I build true rest into my life on a regular basis?
As bad as I can sometimes be at really resting, I think that I actually found myself in pockets of rest this past year. I've discovered that for me to truly rest, it has to be intentional. It might mean saying no to things I enjoy. it might mean coming across as slightly selfish in order to protect it. It might involve a fair amount of Netflix. And cross-stitching. And coffee. It might not.
I've found that rest is more selective that I thought it would be. It's not possible for me to feel truly rested just anywhere or with just anyone, but that doesn't mean it has to be a solitary verb. What I do know is that the rest I have discovered this year was free of worry and fear and agendas. In that sense, it was rather empty, and yet oh so filling.
Rest is peaceful...and it requires a fair measure of trust.
Trust is a funny thing. 2016 was filled with meditating on that word for me and finding a renewed meaning of it in my life. Funny because true rest seems to require immense levels of trust. To be at rest, one has to feel safe, trusting that all will be well. Trusting that God knows you and loves you and has it covered.
This year, rest took many forms. It came in weeks of babysitting and being an Auntie for so many of my favorite kiddos. It came in vacations void of heavy class schedules and long to-do lists. It involved planning trips that I was excited to plan...or not plan as the case may be. It came in seasons of being okay with the unknown and things beyond my control. It came from being okay with standing up for me and sometimes jumping into the trenches for others.
2016 grew my understanding and application of trust. 2017 stretched my cultivation of rest.
In 2018, my goal is to lean. Lean in and lean on. This will require a bit of falling every now and then, but taking the risk and leaning despite the risk.
As always, I'm sure it'll be another interesting year...
As bad as I can sometimes be at really resting, I think that I actually found myself in pockets of rest this past year. I've discovered that for me to truly rest, it has to be intentional. It might mean saying no to things I enjoy. it might mean coming across as slightly selfish in order to protect it. It might involve a fair amount of Netflix. And cross-stitching. And coffee. It might not.
I've found that rest is more selective that I thought it would be. It's not possible for me to feel truly rested just anywhere or with just anyone, but that doesn't mean it has to be a solitary verb. What I do know is that the rest I have discovered this year was free of worry and fear and agendas. In that sense, it was rather empty, and yet oh so filling.
Rest is peaceful...and it requires a fair measure of trust.
Trust is a funny thing. 2016 was filled with meditating on that word for me and finding a renewed meaning of it in my life. Funny because true rest seems to require immense levels of trust. To be at rest, one has to feel safe, trusting that all will be well. Trusting that God knows you and loves you and has it covered.
This year, rest took many forms. It came in weeks of babysitting and being an Auntie for so many of my favorite kiddos. It came in vacations void of heavy class schedules and long to-do lists. It involved planning trips that I was excited to plan...or not plan as the case may be. It came in seasons of being okay with the unknown and things beyond my control. It came from being okay with standing up for me and sometimes jumping into the trenches for others.
2016 grew my understanding and application of trust. 2017 stretched my cultivation of rest.
In 2018, my goal is to lean. Lean in and lean on. This will require a bit of falling every now and then, but taking the risk and leaning despite the risk.
As always, I'm sure it'll be another interesting year...
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