Yay, it’s Friday, time for Five Minute Friday! As y’all know this week I’m writing on the lessons I’m learning about peace for my Lenten commitment of 40 Days of Peace. Today’s word prompt, “rest” was tough, but I remembered a Scripture I read last night about the dove here we GO:
Restless Until I Rest In You?
Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “Our hearts are unquiet until we rest in you”. Then Audrey Assad made it into a song, “Restless Until I Rest In you”, and it took off. “I’m restless until I rest in Jesus” was the cool, hip, enlighten Christian thing to say. Say it and “bam” instant Christ-cred. But, what does that mean? It’s almost too poetic for this literal soul.
Sure, the concept conjures up some cool pictures: reclining with Jesus around a table overflowing with bounty and lying in green pastures while I doze to the lullaby of a babbling brook. But, again not super applicable right now. For dinner, I sit around a messy dining room table that’s more of a nuclear spot than a Fly Lady’s “hot spot”! Sleeping outside is a no-go, It’s 40 degrees, the grass is drenched from melted snow, and um…I don’t know where to find a babbling brook.
So, “rest”. What do I think of when I think of “rest”? Well, I’ve been studying the dove all week for today’s post examining the symbolisms of the Dove in the Bible called, “Dove…more than a phosphate free soap” and this Scripture came to mind.
“but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself...”
Genesis 8:9
The dove Noah sent out surveyed the land, realized it was all under water and that there no places to rest, so she came back home. She came back to the only safe place she knew during one of the world’s most terrifying moments—the great flood. She came back to where she knew she has community and care. She came back to where she’d be nourished and known. She came back to the ark.
So I wonder…
Jesus, does resting in you look like that for me?
Does resting in You mean, that even though You’ll send me out daily into the chaotic and scary world, a world drowned in despair and darkness, a world that has seen some terrifying moments—safety, stability, and being known is found in You? Found with You? That the quiet times I always seem to miss, are actually “ark returning” moments of rest?
Is there nourishment in Your word that I should come back home to daily?
It’s true; restlessness is churning over the waters of this drowned world so there isn’t a place for me to set my feet.
So maybe, just maybe, “Restless Until I Rest In You” means something more than a hipster bike sticker.
Or, maybe this is almost too poetic for this poor, literal soul.
STOP
I’m two days behind on this week’s 40 Days of Peace posts. Sorry y’all… life happened. And writer’s block. Boo!
I’m going to post today’s post on the symbolisms of the dove in the Bible this evening, so follow me on twitter to know when it’s up.
Y
ou can check out this week’s post on Peace:
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