A-rest-ed!

An interesting thing happened on the way to small group. No I didn't get arrested. But I learned something. It did not actually happen on the way to group. It happened at group and I am not actually surprised that I learned something. So basically that is the worst intro ever but here is what I walked away with. Our apprentice leader Joe did an awesome job. We are reading through the John Ortberg book "The Life You Have Always Wanted." A deceptive and presumptive title we all decided last night. We read the chapter on scripture reading. Joe challenged as all to really apply the chapter and commit to truly meditating on a verse, a chapter or a book of the Bible. I loved the challenge. It was just what I needed to be honest. It's so easy to get busy and not or to just read as if it's a checklist activity and I can mark it off and move on and never experience the life transformation that is possible.

So my scripture that I have chosen is Psalm 62:1-2. "I find my rest in God alone. He is the one who saves me. He alone is my rock. He is the one who saves me. He is like a fort to me. I will always be secure." I have chosen this because I was recently challenged, either from the book or a message or maybe a combination, on the idea of relying on God for my rest. I have not been a restful sleeper for years. I fall asleep almost immediately. My wife jokes I am like the little toy doll that you lay down and the eyes close because I usually pass out from exhaustion as soon as I am anywhere resembling the prone position. However I never stay that way. Invariable I wake up every hour or two. My mind never rests. As soon as I wake up a myriad of important or mundane things flood my minds eye and I cannot sleep. I toss and turn. I cannot remember the last time I woke up refreshed. The point that somebody was making was that when we do not trust God for our rest we take on all our worries and anxieties because we have to figure them out ourselves. When I trust God and allow my self to relax in His rest because He is in control then I am free to truly refresh and rest. I have pondered this - usually in the wee hours of the night when I am not sleeping. My conclusion is that I need to put it in practice but how do you do that? I cannot stop thinking anymore then I can just will myself to be less hairy. I have to find a way to take those thoughts captive and not by trying to maintain a "blank screen" in my mind. The thoughts have to be taken captive and the point of this weeks chapter is it is when I meditate on the scriptures that I replace the thoughts and distractions with God's word. I like that idea especially as it pertains to my rest dilemma. So here is my plan. Bearing in mind I am neither artistic or excessively computer savvy I have created a plaque to put on my bedside table with Psalm 62:1-2 on it. It is my intention to read it every night as I go to bed to remind me that my rest comes from the Lord. He is my rock and my fortress. It is because of Him that I have what I do and that I get to serve in the way I do. I am anxious to see what impact it has and I am also anxious to see what my fellow group members come up with. There is so much growth taking place in so many people in the group right now. It is such a privilege to be apart of it.