Monday, March 5, 2012

Make Time To Rest

Then Jesus said, “Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest.” There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. -- John 6:31

It feels like I am loosing my mind. I am being pulled in so many different directions. Everybody seems to want something and, frankly, there just isn’t enough of me to go around. You probably know exactly what I mean. Most of us go through this at some point.

I am so thankful that Jesus understands. He tells the apostles to go away with Him and rest for a while. He tells us that too.

It seems difficult to find the time in a day that has no time left. Yet, how can anyone make it through the day without spending time alone with God? Quiet time. Alone time. A time to seek and to hear, to find comfort and strength. Words of wisdom. Words to live by.

Have you ever gone to God too weary and numb to even know what to say? I have. And amazingly He hears everything I can’t seem to say. The Holy Spirit tells Him what I cannot find the words to express.

When did we all get so busy? Has life always been this way? Maybe so. I guess I just kept thinking that one day it would be better. I’d dream about the occasional day off. I’d long for a day when I could sleep in, read fiction and laze in the sun. Dreams for another day, a better day, a day that likely will never come.

Life is always busy and, really, would we have it any other way? Wasn’t it meant to be filled with family and friends, God’s work and earning a living, laughter and nourishment? Aren’t we supposed to fill our moments with life? Of course. Just as we’re also supposed to find time for rest and renewal.

So take a little time for yourself. Find it where you can. One friend had quiet time in her bathroom -- the only place she wouldn’t be interrupted. Another woman found solitude in her walk-in closet. It doesn’t matter because God will meet you where you’re at. Give yourself strength for another day by taking time to rest in the arms of Jesus.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Fill Yourself With the Bread of Life

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

-- John 6:35

The Bible is full of symbolism. The stories of old are alive today, living and breathing truth into us. We can read something again and again and, suddenly, it all makes sense in a whole new way and we wonder what took us so long to get it.

In his book, The Journey, Adam Hamilton points out a symbolism that I never noticed before. Jesus, the bread of life, was born in Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread.” I never knew that small fact which means is so significant.

But let’s take it a step further. After Jesus’ birth, Luke tells us three times that He lay in a manger. Unlike the wooden one that most of us imagine, it was likely cut from stone. It seems so hard and cold, much too stark for a newborn baby. Somehow that doesn’t fit the picture in our minds.

What was a manger used for? To feed the animals. The bread of life born to feed His people. Do you get it? I know. I can’t believe I missed it all these years either.

The hustle and bustle of Christmas can seem so overwhelming sometimes. We get so focused on gifts and parties, food and commitments that we miss the real story. We rush right past the manger and don’t take time to stop, and eat, from the bread of life.

We think that somehow giving the perfect gifts will fill us with joy. We believe that wonderful presents will make us happy. We know that contentment comes from a table groaning with food and a festive tree standing nearby. We wonder why we still feel so empty inside when the day is done. It’s because all those things can never fill us up inside, in that place where joy and happiness and contentment reside.

So how do we reclaim what is ours for the taking? Perhaps by taking the focus off the external and turning it back to the baby who was born that day. It’s not our birthday. It’s His. Do you really think He cares about all those things that will be gone in the blink of an eye?

Hamilton noted that his church gives its Christmas Eve offering to two projects benefiting children in need. One is in Africa and the other is in their hometown area. It reminds them -- and us -- of what Jesus would likely want for His birthday. He would want us to care for His sheep, to provide for His people.

This Christmas season take a few moments and think about all those gifts you’re giving and receiving. Ask yourself what you think Jesus might want you to give to Him. That’s where you’ll begin filling up that empty space inside of you with the bread of life.