Tuesday, July 15, 2014

What If You Chose Rest?

What if you just rested?

What if you closed the computer and powered down the phone? What if you turned off the music or the podcast or the great preacher on TV? What if you put away the iPad and hid the remote control?

What if you didn't post, tweet, share, favorite, comment, like, or link up?

What if you exchanged the noise out, noise in, for quiet? For more of Him.

What if you just stopped? Chose rest.

Breath.

What if you laughed over little boys in backyard buckets or ran through the sprinklers?


What if you walked with family in a place with no wires and looked for signs that Yahweh is looking for you?




What if you captured the day's last light and marveled over the Artist's evening masterpiece?



Would the world whiz on without you? Would the busy buzz on beyond you? Would you be lost, passed up, or forgotten? Would you miss out on God's best because you chose to rest?

Or would you find new life, new meaning, a new way of connecting over jigsaw puzzles and white lacquered dominoes?



Would you discover that you can actually find refreshment for your soul without refreshing your browser? That you can hear the message your heart needs without receiving another text?

Would you uncover that you're not overlooked or left out when you unplug your devices, but that you're actually seen and known best when you plug into relationship? Plug into living present?

Your blog and Facebook, Twitter feed and Pinterest board all serve a purpose. But do they sometimes keep you from living life on purpose? Do the voices you hear there sometimes drown out the Voice you need to hear everywhere?

What if doing more wasn't the answer? What if being still was. Listening. To Him. Resting. In Him.

What if your longing for the bigger picture, the larger story, could be fulfilled by slowing down enough to notice the smallest of creation?


What if it's in the still and quiet and "unproductive" rest that you gain the wisdom to see, gain the strength to believe, gain the power to power it all back up for a greater purpose?

What if you chose to rest?

What if I did?  For more of Him. Less of me.

Today.


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Sharing with Jennifer at #TellHisStory and Holley at Coffee for Your Heart.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello Becky, I blog at offthebeatenpathministries.com and would love to get in touch with you about contributing to my upcoming book on friendship. Could you email me at kay@kayharms.com so I could send you the inquiry? Thanks! I love your blog!

Michelle said...

This post is SO powerful! Wow. Hit me hard. I really need to take some of your wisdom and apply it to my life...today! Thanks so much for sharing how God has so much more for us, if we would just look and listen for it. Visiting from Considering Grace (through Tell His Story)! Blessings!

Leah Adams said...

Wow, what a challenging post! Although I have cut waaayyy back on my computer and phone life, I still sometimes thinks about how much more simple and peaceful life was before social media. Glad I stopped by from Jennifer's link up.

Unknown said...

This is right where I am right now...and I'm so glad I stopped by to "hear" it in your well-written words. I love this line: "Your blog and Facebook, Twitter feed and Pinterest board all serve a purpose. But do they sometimes keep you from living life on purpose? " Such a great thought! I've been limiting my visits to the blog world to only once a week...for limited times. And I feel so much more connected. Thanks for sharing your gift here!

Anonymous said...

What if! Beautiful post. I am pondering the child in the bucket and smiling! : ) Your words and photos have blessed me this afternoon.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda

Visiting from Lisa's

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

Oh ... so very beautiful. Resting in your words today. And oh yeah. I see the Ys in the trees. :)

Joy Lenton said...

Hi Becky. This is my first visit to your beautiful blog and I arrive courtesy of Shelly Miller's Sabbath Society newsletter. Your words are manna to a soul hungering for more...more of God's Presence, more listening to Him and His heartbeat than the busy hum and buzz of the world.
These things have been on my mind lately too and precipitated a 3 week social media and blogging break. Now, as I gently ease back into those things again, my heart is stirred by your lovely insightful post. I needed a reminder to unplug regularly from on-line life to plug in more to God's world and working in my life. Thank you. Blessings :) x

Unknown said...

Love love this "Would you discover that you can actually find refreshment for your soul without refreshing your browser?"

Unknown said...

is it strange that I want to get all church-crazy and wave my bulletin at you and shout "preach it girl! PREACH!" ???
because that's what I want to do when I read this! AMEN!

BARBIE said...

What a beautiful and timely post for me. Thank you!