Rest In The Lord

Balancing Act

Spring is upon us. Depending on where you live, you may be still weathering the winter cold, or you are well into a season of pollen and heat waves. I am experiencing the latter in North Carolina.

One of my favorite things about spring is enjoying morning coffee and quite time on the back porch. I wake up early to watch the hummingbirds flit over my flowerbeds, feeding on the plentiful nectar and insects. I’m positive it is the same couple joining me each day. I call them Ricky and Lucy.

They are such delicate masters of flight balancing themselves perfectly in the air. They make it look so easy. But that kind of continued poise wears on them. It’s hard work. Sometimes I feel like Ricky and Lucy, hanging in the air, trying to flutter my wings fast enough to stay balanced on the breezes blowing by me.

Do you ever feel like that?

Grounded

I recently suffered some health issues. You see, I have pulmonary sarcoidosis and have been “grounded” for the last few months, unable to maintain the regular activities I usually enjoy, including walking a many miles a week to train for a half marathon. That’s a post for another dayJ

Prior to this forced break, I tried to keep up with all things work, family, friends, writing, and play. Like Ricky and Lucy, I expended a lot of energy all day long. This left me vulnerable physically and spiritually. I ended up grounded.

As I consider how the hummingbirds maintain energy, I realize that they take breaks during the day to save energy and they go into torpor at night. Torpor is not hibernation, but rather a longer daily rest at night. The reason they have to go into torpor is because the energy they expend throughout the day is overwhelming to their system. Like humans, they need the rest at night to restore metabolic function.

The daily grind can wear us down if we’re not careful. I found myself trying to “do” everything in the hours given me, ignoring the fatigue and weariness that set in.

My inability, or unwillingness, to rest well led to an imposed months-long “torpor” that I did not ask for or want. I was forced to return to my rest.

Return to your rest, O my soul (Psalm 116:7, NASB)

Restoration

God is gracious and compassionate in His care for us. He wants us to rest and gives an example of He, Himself, resting after creating us. Just like the hummingbirds, He restores us when we rest. Physically and spiritually.

He restored my soul (Psalm 23:3 NASB)

God is restoring me during this respite. And I praise Him for that. Although time is ticking very slowly, I know that He is working in me to strengthen and heal me. I know that being off grounded was necessary for me to regroup, refocus, and prioritize. I will not resume all the things I let go of during this season. The lesson God is teaching me is far too hard, and I cannot go back to the busyness He pulled me out of.

I am learning to rest in the Lord, not in what I think I need to accomplish. He will take care of everything. He always does. I just need to be still. As I continue to heal and get back to a healthy balance on the breeze, I will continue some new habits I’ve developed. I will have an afternoon tea break. I will nap when my body tells me to. I will continue to eat foods that nourish my body well. I will stop scheduling something every hour of the day. I will pick flowers just because. I will pause to watch Ricky and Lucy as I sip my morning coffee. And, I will rest.

Rest in the Lord (Psalm 37:7 NASB)

What does resting in the Lord look like for you?