Take a break!

Life is difficult and painful. For Americans it is also busier, and more complex than ever before in the history of mankind. More information, more decisions, more perceptions foisted on us by a society that wants us to consume and consume nearly frenetically.

The impact on followers of Jesus is that we miss the voice of the Lord. We look only momentarily into His Word, listen only momentarily to our brothers and sisters, begin to process in a moment and then we move on. We become followers who have fewer convictions, shallow relationships, and are disconnected from our identity in Christ. I think we miss His voice.

Rest. The regular practice of Sabbath. Where we tune out from the world and "our desires" or goals. Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV, "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

When we turn away from our own pleasures, it leaves a lot of space for the voice of the Lord. Rest from work and thoughts about work. Rest from solving the problems of family, and rehearsing yesterday's conversations. Some activities may even support rest. Music with no words soothes the mind (literally), by flattening the neural pathways. Cooking something you delight in. Talking about the blessings of life with your spouse, mother, brother. 

Our flesh revolts at rest, when we have learned to escape via continually input. Rather than experience your emotions, constant activity is like a drug stimulating a set of emotions and physical responses that are less you than you may know. "Escaping" from life can come in the form of rest, or stimulation. While some stimulation may be innocuous, much of it is detrimental. I believe it seperates you from the voice of the Lord. Choose wisely, and...

take a break!

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