How to truly rest
There was once a girl who didn’t know how to swim.
One day, she fell into a lake.
As she floundered, she cried out to her Dad standing on the bank. But instead of rushing in after her, he simply shouted: 'Stop moving, be still!' Confused, she called out again, but again he shouted, ‘Be still!' The girl was scared she would sink and so continued thrashing about until, at last, her father waded in and pulled her out. Shivering, she asked, 'Dad, why didn't you save me the first time?' He pointed to her body 'I already had’. She looked down and saw she was wearing the lifejacket he had given her that morning.
In the bible, we are often told to be still.
'Be still, and know that I am God...' (Psalm 46:10)
'Be still before the Lord, all mankind...' (Zechariah 2:13)
'The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.' (Exodus 14:14)
For years, I thought this meant to find a quiet spot to pray. To put away the laptop and turn off the TV. But I now realise that when the bible says ‘be still’ it's not an instruction to stop planning or doing – it’s asking us to still our hearts.
Exhausted hearts
Our hearts are always at work. They are engaged in a relentless struggle that’s more tiring than any activity or job…
… it's the struggle to make ourselves feel okay.
Just like our bodies are stricken with disease and stubbed toes and just as the world is riddled with pandemics and potholes, so we are broken inside. We feel a constant and sometimes breathtakingly severe lack of purpose, self worth and safety.
We’re out of our depth, and are thrashing around trying to save ourselves:
To feel significant, we fill our diaries with tasks and meetings.
To feel worthwhile, we find friends who tell us we’re great, or pursue a dazzling career that strangers will admire.
To feel safe, we save, eat right, exercise.
But if you’re anything like me, it’s never enough to make you feel better completely and so you keep going until you burn out. The workaholic who checks their emails on a Saturday? The socialite who can't say ‘no’ to yet another invite? Maybe you're crying out for a chance to stop and be still, but you're too scared of what will happen if you do.
True peace
Even though she was in deep water, the girl did not need to be scared of drowning if she stopped trying to swim. She didn't need to be afraid because her father had got her.
God has got us.
We no longer need to live an exhausting life of striving. We have found the answer. We have found the one thing that will fix those inner pains and give us complete worth, purpose and safety: a relationship with our God.
And, through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can now enjoy that relationship.
So, when the water feels especially cold and dark, and life gets hard and makes you question whether you really are worthwhile or if there really is a purpose – don’t forget about the lifejacket around your waist. Don’t try to save yourself.
Instead, just look up into God’s smiling face. Because as you do, your deepest needs will be met and your shaking limbs will fall still and you’ll know you are okay.
Blog By Milla.