My mother loved to find rare things. She never had any money and she loved thrift stores and garage sales. She would come back sometimes with a car load.
As a kid it drove me bonkers because, confession, I had a hard time finding beauty in old, dirty, used junk. She had an eye that saw beyond what was lost. She knew its importance in this world.
Although I do not have that rich history in extraordinary art like momma did. I have grown in my appreciation of the umlimited power of seeing deeper and relinquishing my limitations to learn beyond my capabilities.
Since I was a young girl sleep has been fleeting. Mom and I both seldom slept more than 5 or 6 hours a night. It took years for me to discover that sleep and rest were not the same thing but both were definitely rare. Sleep was not just closing your eyes. It actually could be deep and soul soothing, where nightmares stop, and tranquility holds, and you wake up relaxed and energized. That is what they call a good nights sleep.
Rest is even deeper still. Did you know rest is an action? God calls us to rest. He rested on the 7th day of creation. Jesus always rested by getting away from the crowds.
Why is it so rare for us to rest? Because it is just like seeking treasure at a garage sale. You have to take the time to go, to seek, to find, to see. You have to wipe off the layers built up by the bread of idleness, the pain of tragedy, trauma, loss, grief. You have to recognize your need for it and become open to the idea that someone else gives it to you. You need let go of the urgency to do more, be more, get more and let God give you rest.
Jeremiah 6:6 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls…”
Look. See. Ask for ancient paths. Seek the deep and rare space. Sometimes seamingly lost in time and space. Overgrowth, broken rocks covered in moss. Hidden treasure. The good way. Move towards it. Walk in it. Ask for it. Seek and ye shall find. Rest.
Psalm 127:2 “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
We rise early and stay up late in vain because we do not put our trust and faith in Christ in it all. True rest is found in spite of all of it, if you are giving it all to God. This rest brings peace even in the turmoil, in the crazy, in the endless activity of living, and the mental gymnastics our mind.
I have been digging deep into why people are so plagued with anxiety, unease, stress, a constant state of instability.
My mom sought the rare because it enriched her life, she could see the value in what others could not see. How rich would our life be if we truly sought out the rare rest that comes in a deeper faith and trust in the one who numbered our hairs, wove us in our mother’s womb, and holds us in the palm of his hand?
Just think, the anxiety would melt away, the pain would be gain, the treasure would be rich, the soul would be filled and you might even get a good nights sleep too!
“LORD I pray for our anxious hearts, panicked souls, overwhelmed minds, and frantic feet. Help us find soul rest that is found only in you. The rare and beautiful comes in your refiners fire. Help us find the hidden treasure of what you offer us in you.”
STAY BEAUTIFUL
Susanne
Susanne Moore 