The following quotes are from the book authored by michael yaconelli entitled “messy spirituality” God’s annoying love for imperfect people.
“Spiritual growth does not happen by running faster. What keeps many of us from growing is not sin but speed. It’s not sinning too much that’s killing our souls, it’s our schedule that’s annihilating us. We come home staggering tired, worn out, exhausted and drained because we live too fast. Speeding through life endangers our relationships and our souls.
Too many of us are running as fast as we can, and an alarming number of us are running much faster than we can sustain. Speed damages our souls because living fast consumes every ounce of our energy. Spiritual growth happens when we slow our activity down. If we want to stay on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area, and stop. Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us; it’s about noticing Jesus sitting at the rest stop.
Burnout is slang for an inner tirednes, a fatigue of our souls. We know we are ready for God to work in our lives when we’re tired. The ugly truth, however, is that many of us do not know how to rest!
Rest is a decision we make. Rest is choosing to do nothing when we have too much to do, slowing down when we feel pressure to go faster, stopping instead of starting. Rest is listening to our weariness and responding to our tiredness, not to what is making us tired. Rest is what happens when we say one simple word: “No!” Rest is the ultimate humiliation because in order to rest, we must admit we are not necessary, that the world can get along without us, that God’s work does not depend on us. Once we understand how unnecessary we are, only then might we find the right reasons to say yes. Only then might we find the right reasons to decide to be with Jesus instead of working for him. Only then might we have the courage to take a nap with Jesus.”
I think I’ll take a nap! How about you?
