Come friends.
Sit with me and rest. We are tired.
Let’s read the words of this poem by John O’Donohue.
The poem is a longer one and that is part of this restful exercise.
Read it slowly and digest every word intentionally.
What do you notice? What captures your attention?
The Blessing For One Who Is Exhausted
(Seems fitting, doesn’t it?)
When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,
The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laboursome events of will.
Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.
The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.
You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.
At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.
You have travelled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of colour
That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.
Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
I’ve read this poem many times and today what I noticed is, the tide you never valued has gone out.
To be honest, I have traveled too fast over false ground. The president of a ministry devoted to teaching people how to rest and walk in healthy Jesus rhythms has been very careless with her own time and her own soul. What tide have I not valued? How have I not cared for my own soul?
Jesus’ words from the book of Matthew, chapter 11:
“Are you tired? Worn out?... Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest … Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” MSG
Join me in letting our Creator restore our souls.
I will be spending the next 2 months focusing on taking the time to return to the me that has always been meant to be. The God-created me, not the false, hectic, overwhelmed me.
It’s been a big ole year.
I’ve been trying so hard. So have you. Now it’s time to trust. That’s hard, I know.
But I have to believe there is strength beyond me because I’m all out.
Lean with me into the arms of grace - those unforced rhythms of grace.
I’m learning to respect the heart I’ve been given.
Breathe deep. We can rest awhile.