Last week my daughter Madison was on break from school and she wanted us to take her to the Arizona State Fair. While we were there, I saw this massive Ferris Wheel with enclosed compartments.
So when I sat down to write this blog, Actively Resting in Faith, I asked God to help me write, and he showed me the image of the Ferris Wheel and how it represents this very subject.
So let's start with the meaning of the phrase "active rest".
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"Active rest is sometimes referred to as active recovery, which is like going for a swim the day after a tough workout. ...active rest means you are improving your body and recovering during the workout, not just after."
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It is vital to our spiritual health that we learn how to Actively Rest after we've been through some tough stuff. -AND not just actively rest by itself, BUT Actively Rest in Faith.
Actively Resting in Faith means that you are still moving, but not enough to put strain on your spirit and soul.
Practically speaking, Actively Resting in Faith after you've been through a painful situation or circumstance means you aren't hiding out in your house.
It means you are doing simple acts to share your faith; smile at the cashier or people you pass by, pray for someone, give someone a hug who needs it, encourage someone....you see, these are simple ways to stay engaged and connected to God while you are recovering.
Regular rest means no movement at all. Regular rest would be like vegging out on the sofa, taking a nap, or floating in a pool. Spiritually speaking; sitting on the church pew doing nothing but soaking and receiving.
*Regular rest isn't a bad thing but it can become so comfortable to the point that we could become lazy in our faith walk and we won't be ready for the next thing that is coming our way.
We need to stay Actively Resting in Faith in order to recover from our last season.
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"Your body needs time to rest in between hard exercise sessions so that it can repair itself properly—and come back stronger."
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There are three components to Actively Resting in Faith that will help us move forward.
-This is where the Ferris Wheel imagery comes into play.
What is our posture when we are on a Ferris Wheel? When the wheel is in motion, we are supposed to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Rest.
When we are engaging our faith, we are to rest as well, but it's an active rest. We cannot engage our faith without taking small steps to which in turn create motion to our faith walk.
Those small steps are the three components shown above; Constant surrender of control/dying to self, Trusting God's process, and Trusting God's timing.
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Join me, everyone! Trust only in God every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you—he will help you! Psalm 62:8 The Passion Translation
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIV
Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. Jeremiah 10:23 NIV
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I think this is hard for a lot of us. I know that it's been hard for me this past year and it's still hard. I suspect that engaging my faith is never going to get easy. Trusting God and surrendering.
Yep, it's tough.
This cycle never ends but that's ok. Don't we want to move forward in faith? Don't we hunger for deeper connection to God and his plan for our lives? Without this cycle, we become stagnant.
Actively Resting in Faith is so vital to a healthy faith walk and it is the wheel that moves us forward in the purposes of God and his will for our lives strengthening our faith, preparing us for our future.