A number of year ago the Lord used my cell phone to give me a valuable object lesson.
Nothing seemed to be working properly and there were bizarre glitches taking place that I couldn’t seem to clear? (Does one clear a glitch…?) Anyway, after trying to delete pictures and old text messages, I realized that my phone needed to go through a series of updates.
I had seen – and ignored – the notifications. Reminders were a nuisance until there was nothing left to do than to follow through with the software updates.
What had made me nervous before was now the only solution to making my phone get back to functioning condition … and that made me all the more nervous!
I don’t know about you, but when I don’t understand technology, there seems to be this default setting within me that sends me into fear-based reasoning.
“What if all my pictures get deleted?!”
“What if I lose my contacts?!”
“What if my phone can’t make the update and it doesn’t restart?!”
I am no Genius Bar, Geek Squad brainiac… but I don’t think a regular maintenance update even has the possibility to do any of those things?!
The only thing that happens is me settling for less-than-ideal cell phone function in attempts to save multiple pictures of the same fancy dessert and a mission to hold onto contacts I haven’t seen or spoken to literally in decades. My nonsensical (yet very real) technology fears lead to me sacrificing what is actually best for my device.
I can’t help but connect regular tech maintenance/software updates to rest.
We were not created to function in go-mode 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Our bodies need to rest… that’s why we begin to lose mental, emotional and physical capacity when we are sleep deprived! It’s why God created the seventh day of the week and why we have night time. We need rest.
We need rest regularly too!
If you’re able to today, take some time out for a Time Out.
Not as a punishment or a consequence for doing something bad… do it because your body and mind, heart and spirit need the break.
Covid has not been a vacation and just because our time has been spent differently, does not mean that we’ve been on holiday.
Slow down long enough to take a few deep breaths… inhale… exhale… repeat.
Pause to look around you and to intentionally see what is taking place in the space you’re in. Consider things from another perspective!
God calls us to regularly take time out of our week – not just to rest our bodies and minds but to spend time with him!
As you’re breathing in and out, breathe prayers of thanksgiving. Another breathing prayer I often go to is to pray:
“Dear Jesus” on the inhale, and “H E L P M E” on the exhale. Bring him into whatever it is that your rest looks like and practice resting well.
Practice giving in to the regular rest maintenance required for your body to function at its best. Surrender to taking some time off rather than caving in to your fears of slowing down.
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2)
Lord God, we recognize our need to slow down and our need to rest.
We ask that you might grant us the patience and courage to make space for ourselves to rest.
Thank you for creating the Sabbath for us and for building into our lives rhythms of rest.
We confess that there are times we see these needs to slow down as hindrances or distractions.
Show us what it looks like for us to find our rest in you.
Grant us peace and patience with ourselves, with our situations, and most importantly with you, God. We need your help and ask that we can know you more in our times of rest.
Amen.