Calgon Take Me Away
Café Menu for Monday, June 29, 2015
Today’s Special is: Permission to Rest
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Rochelle Frazier-Foster
Main Ingredient:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you REST. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find REST for your souls.
Matthew 11:28 NIV
Entrée:
I cannot begin to count the number of times I have been sent into a place of rest unwillingly. After burning the candle at both ends until there was no longer a candle to burn, I would find myself bed bound for days. Exhausted, sick and aching, I vowed to have learned my lesson. I will see rest as sacred rather than lazy.
This promise was always short lived until amnesia takes over and I have revived the candle and burn baby burn.
Then something happened that shifted my lens from seeing rest as irresponsible to knowing that rest was vital not only to my physical being but spiritually and emotionally. I began to appreciate, desire and seek rest, but it came organically as I began to TRUST who He is and that I am loved by Him.
Can we be honest?
Are we operating out of trust while we live on a rollercoaster of our emotions fearing outcomes, questioning decisions, or doubting that His promises will happen for us? Should we be mentally and emotionally depleted if we trust Him?
You may "claim" to trust as I often have, but my calendar spoke differently. My calendar said... I will do ALL things and pray I have time to squeeze in some Kingdom instead of seek ye the kingdom and all things will be added.
If God's timing didn't always fit into my plan, I would gladly help Him speed things up which often led to a sea of regret over bad choices. I would go from one ulcer to another trying to make a decision that would keep me in His perfect will instead of just trusting His hand moving in my life. It is comical now that I realize that my desire to be in His will led me to an ulcer... be anxious for nothing, right? There's your sign, Ro, you have clearly missed His will!
The truth is that we have a choice. We can continue living on the spin cycle or we can choose to trust Him and step into a place of rest.
Aren’t you tired of spinning?
I’m beginning to think God was behind the “Calgon Take Me Away” commercials cheering, Yes! Yes! Yes! Get some Calgon and bubble up and I will meet you there!!! For some crazy reason, I always seem to hear Him in the tub.
Take Out:
The culture of today enslaves us to busyness, and assures us that if we keep climbing a ladder we will arrive. However, what if our breakthrough moment has nothing to do with our pursuit after our plans, but rather in our positioning ourselves at the feet of the one who ordains them?
Be still and know I am God (Psalm 46:10).
· Rest allows God to move because we don't fear His timing, but expect His showing.
· Resting in His presence restores our weary souls and bring us joy (In His Presence, there is fullness of Joy. Psalm 16:11)
· Rest renews our mind from a house of torment (You are not enough!) to a place of assured identity... I am the Beloved!
· Rest allows the sacred to invade our busy lives and space for God sized dreams to be birthed.
· Rest says to the enemy of our hearts… Flee! You can't touch me because my God Has This!
The enemy of your heart tries to convince you that rest is irresponsible and negligent, but he does this only because he knows the power of REST.
Dessert:
Father,
We lean into Your Word today and we trust that in all things at all times, we will have everything we need and abound in every good work. We surrender to the striving and seek to focus on our positioning. Father, draw us to Your feet. Enrobe us in Your love. Restore our souls and fill us with overflowing joy that is only found in Your Presence. Thank You Father for the gift of rest. We receive it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
(2 Corinthians 9:8)
© 2015 by Rochelle Frazier-Foster. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Monday, 29 June 2015.
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