Oct 16, 2009
RELAX...
"Relax...Release...Revive...Refresh...Replenish...Restore..."
Sounds like an ad for a health spa, right? Well, not only do these words apply to the body, they also apply to other parts of the soul, like our heart, mind and spirit. "Soul" is defined by Dallas Willard"as the hidden or 'spiritual' side of the person. It includes an individual's thoughts and feelings, along with heart or will, with its intents and choices. It also includes an individual's bodily life and social relations, which, in their inner meaning and nature, are just as 'hidden' as the thoughts and feelings." http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=106.
The idea is that of one's entire existence in this life. And my point is that all parts of our existence--physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational--need rest and need it regularly. I know this personally to be true. If I am fatigued or drained in any of these areas, the others are effected. I also know that all parts of my soul need transformation and deeply so. Thankfully, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is supernaturally carrying out that transformation of me. But, rest, I've found, facilitates the transformation or at least gives me a greater awareness and apprecation of it. For me to get to a place of rest, I know I need three things: (1) Solitude, (2) Silence, and (3) Security--in the finished work of Jesus Christ and His unfailing love for me.
Let's look at these three "S's" for rest. The first two, solitude and silence, are pretty understandable on their face. They mean, respectively, "get alone and still" and "get quiet and listen". Easy enough to understand, but hard to practice. Commitment and discipline are required and we are opposed by an enemy who tries to thwart our efforts. For more on these, I refer you to the excellent writing of Ruth Haley Barton in Sacred Rhythms, Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Intervarsity Press, 2006).
For the third "S", I point you toward Good News for Those Trying Harder by Alan Kraft (David C. Cook, 2008). Chapter 6 is entitled "Resting in Christ". Kraft makes the point that until our efforts at growth, transformation, and obedience are born of faith in the finished work of Christ and motivated by our understanding and acceptance of Christ's love toward us and power in us, we will eventually become exhausted (i.e., non-rested). All too often, I must admit, my efforts and motives are based in fear, guilt and shame instead of faith, love and power. I know that's the case when I'm feeling exhausted, burned out, anxious, resentful, etc. I know I'm not resting in Jesus' love for me. So, I must retreat and reorient myself to a state of rest. That starts, once again, with preching the whole of the Gospel to myself anew--that Jesus had such love for me, even in my sinful state, that he died to save me, every part of me, and that salvation involves transformation of my sinful nature to a Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled nature. Such transformation makes possible the abundant (overflowing) life that Jesus came to give.
I've tried here to get at a linkage between rest and transformation. How did I do? What are your thoughts and experiences with this?
In any event, I hope you take a deep breath and relax (your heart, your mind and your body) in the blessedness of Jesus' unfailing love for you. He really does love you and He really is for you. Start there. Let that motivate you. Now, see if you can't rest better.
