2 Kings 19:11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Let me tell you, my life has been chaotic recently.
And I thought I could handle it too, with my willpower and genius time management, I was gonna make it through.
Check every box and write every essay and keep every commitment — oh yeah, and in the meantime keep a smile on my face and look like I have my life together.
But you know what?
That’s not the goal.
This blog post is a sermon to myself and a lesson some of my best friends have been trying to teach me for a long time.
I. Can’t. Do. Everything.
And you know what finally made me realize it?
Rest.
The beauty of rest.
God created and set aside a while day each week for rest. Sabbath. To be in the quiet and commune with Him. To slow down and let the true priorities take their place.
When I’m running a million miles an hour, I love the rush of adrenaline, I love the feeling of productivity and accomplishment… but I lose the little things.
Life is full of tasks and checklists, but all the beauty in the little things are choked out.
The beauty of laughing and long walks with dear friends. The beauty of tea dates and phone calls with friends in other states. The beauty of taking my little siblings to the library or reading a book just for fun.
And you know what else gets choked out?
The voice of God.
Going back to 1 Kings which I referenced in the beginning, Elijah was surrounded by the whirlwind of life. But that’s not where God was.
God came in the still small voice, and we have to be still and calm to be able to find them there.
When I’m caught up in the hubbub and rush of life, I’m not going to hear Him. I’m not going to see Him.
Last week, I was rereading a letter my best friend wrote me during freshman year. She told me that God doesn’t knock us flat on our backs so that we will walk right back to the things that knocked us down.
This semester has already knocked me down. And it’s knocking me down over and over, because I’m not letting God speak into it. I’m not letting His still small voice lead me, but rather I’m being led by the busyness and agendas and craziness that I’ve inflicted upon myself.
One of the first Bible passages I ever memorized was Psalm 23, which says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life.”
God wants to give me rest. And I want to learn to embrace it. Not to take it as being lazy, but to except it as a gift he has given me to blessed me in so many ways. And also to allow me to fully experience my relationship with him in the way it supposed to be.
I want to really learn what it means to be still and know that he is God. (Psalm 46:10)
— Taryn
Drowning in Sufficient Grace 