Two things that keep me from trusting God

Back in the day when I had a full-time job away from the house and two small children, I would get a little irritated (maybe jealous?) of  all those people who seemed to be able to rest. They slept in on Saturday mornings. They went on vacation. They drank coffee in a coffee shop. It all seemed so unattainable. And yes, the physical rest that comes from opting out and taking breaks  is so important.

But surely there is more to rest than just ceasing activity. I have wrestled with this idea for years: How can I rest and do? I mean lets get real: laundry still needs to get folded, the deadline needs to be met, dinner must be made, the sales pitch needs to be given. Is it possible to rest and do? At the same time? And if so, how?

Yes. You can rest and do.

How? Even if you are physically doing work, your soul can rest because you are trusting Him. This soul-rest is found through the action of trust. When I trust in His plan, I rest in the knowledge that I don’t have to keep it all together because He does. When I trust in His goodness, I rest in knowing that I’m safe. When I trust in His love, I rest because I don’t have to work to earn it.

Psalm 46:10 is well-known by Achievers but hardly heeded: “Be still and know that I am God.” Achievers can’t be still because we believe that the best version of ourselves is the productive version. So we disregard this verse and say that we’ll put it into practice on our next beach vacation.

The Greek word for still not only means to be idle, it also means to forsake, to let drop, and to sink down. What does it look like for you today to forsake your agenda for His? For you to drop your need for control? Or to sink down into your smallness and His bigness and know that He is God?

But here’s the deal, I have trust issues. I don’t want to trust anyone but me. I certainly don’t want to forsake my agenda. I like believing that I’m in control. I like to feel big and that I can do it all by myself – thank you very much.  I want to keep these beliefs in tact for two reasons:

1. I am fearful of missing out, falling behind, and not keeping up.

As Achievers or Americans (I can’t tell which it is), we believe that if Susie is doing it, we should be doing it too. We put extreme pressure on ourselves to get ahead, but this manifests itself into a constant, low-grade anxiety. Our fears of missing out, falling behind, and not keeping up add pressure to our already fragile hearts. This pressure doesn’t make us feel restful, it makes us feel worn out.

2. I feel obligated or guilted into doing.

Over decades and decades, I have served in various roles in the community, at church, and at my kids’ school because I “should.” I have no idea who is telling me all the things I “should” be doing, but I know it isn’t God. I am so sick of the “shoulds.” But I have a hard time knowing what to do without an ever-hovering cloud of guilt. This guilt-cloud has been guiding my steps like a perverted north star, and following it is exhausting.

So how do I move past fear and guilt?

By resting in God through trusting Him. We can do this by using our gifts, talents, and temperaments to do the thing God has invited us to do and by listening to our lives and talking with God about the specific things He has for us to do.

Achievers, I wonder if for today, you will Go Rogue with me.

Let’s Go Rogue from trying to keep up because it will only wear us out.

Instead, let’s participate in life with intention to God’s invitations. God doesn’t work in vague generalities or in the economy of guilt. The Holy Spirit convicts over specifics, so if you feel a general guilty feeling, that feeling is not from God. Ask God what He wants you to do (or not do) today.

Let’s Go Rogue from serving out of obligation and the idea of “should.”

Instead, let’s obey Him and serve others with a heart of love. Achiever, you can rest because you can trust the One who is able, who loves you, and who is holding all of this together.

But mostly, may your yearning for rest be the key to returning to Him.

There is a reason that your heart longs for rest. There is a reason that you want to just sit down. Let this longing draw you to Jesus. Yes, you may want a cup of coffee or to sit on a mountaintop, but spiritual rest is way better than those earthly things. Rest can be found in trusting the One who loves you the most.

So Achiever friend, while the physical rest of a lazy Saturday or a beach vacation may not be possible right now, you can still rest right this very minute. Your soul needs it. From what does your soul need to rest? What activity, thought-pattern, discouragement, or stress needs to be dropped down? What agenda of yours needs to be forsaken? What truth does your heart need to sink into?

Go ahead soul and rest.