Dwell before rest.

There's not enough time in my day.  I wring every second out of every minute, maximizing every opportunity to schedule more. I become obsessed with time; with volume; with cutting corners to pretend I gained volume. Gradually, my calendar began stifling the Lord's movement in my life.


The activities that fill my schedule--they're good in themselves and easily justifiable.  In fact, most of them are celebrated and even deemed necessary.  Yet it's this benign perception of my busyness that poses the greatest threat.  


Slowly, my busyness created a numbness--that resulted in an inability to experience God's rest.  The more committed I was to my calendar the less committed I was to listening to the Lord throughout my day.  And this has happened before.


Point to a lack of rest in my life and there you will likely find a callousness to Christ.  Communion with God, how I spend my time, and my restlessness are all related. The busyness initiated the absence of rest because busyness trumped my communion with God.  Without the pursuit of God, I will never fully experience His rest: His abundance; His peace; His purpose. 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Put another way: When I forgo dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, I forgo resting in the shadow of the Almighty. 

Maybe you can empathize.

Lately, it's been a check off my list.  Quiet time: check.  Prayer: check. Church: check. Check, check, check.  I go through the motions without margin that leaves room for the Holy Spirit's work in and through me.  For me, it's not merely about scheduling a daily devotional time. It's about leaving room in each day for unbridled movement of our Lord. Experiencing God's rest is the byproduct of a heart softened and attuned to our Lord--it far exceeds a daily devotional exercise, although scheduled communion is equally important because it often sets the tone for our day.

And it begins to make sense: when I identify that which impedes my engaging God, I  have identified that which impedes my rest in God.  Most of the time, I am the impediment: my schedule, my priorities, my heart.  

I am not suggesting that you cancel all activities.  For me personally, entering God's rest is an attitude of the heart issue. It is about deliberately making room for God's unrestrained work in my life.  It's about taking time to hear God and taking time to obediently respond to God's movement.  This starts with my prayer life but ultimately requires me to make space to hear God. 

I pray the Lord leads you to identify whatever is impeding your dwelling in in Him.  I pray you have the discipline to remove it.  

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."  Psalm 91:1 (NIV). "

"There is only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:42 (NLT).

"For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest." Hebrews 4:10-11 (NLT).

So this happened recently.  Try not to hate me for it.

Much love to you, 

Paige