~He makes me Relax & Chill-out~

We are having company this weekend; so of course I am a “cleaning maniac!”  Not to mention, the company is my in-laws; of course, I want our little place to look extra special.  So, here I am anxiously cleaning, getting a “bleach high,” and feeling worn out already, with a whole night to go. Sound familiar ladies?  Or men?  Whoever is the “perfectionist” in the family!   As I hurry to clean, unwanting to stop my anxious flow; my computer begins to play some Christian music, worshiping God.  It is amazing how just a song about God brings me peace and I feel the Holy Spirit inside me whispering “rest, my child.”

Rest is not a concept “we” Americans have gotten to know very well.  We like to keep ourselves “busy lil’ bees!”  If you are anything like me and have an extreme or perfectionist personality with a goal oriented nature; you know how stressful company coming over (though I love it) can be.  I like to play “Hostess with the Mostest,” but sometimes obsess over everything being perfect, until I don’t want to finish the job.  But wait, I must finish what I start (goal- driven, remember).  So, I keep at it until the work is done, while all the while carrying frustrated emotions.

Perhaps your business does not stem from perfectionism, but from other reasons.  Some like to keep busy because they are trying to please man, trying to prove themselves, trying to avoid thinking about what is really going on in their lives, trying to keep themselves from the great fear of boredom.  Those are just to name a few.

The thing I love about my God found in Jesus Christ is that He offers peace and rest for His children.  He tells us to relax, chill out, and have a margarita!  Haha, ok so He is not Jimmy Buffett; but you get the point.  God offers rest to His children and compels us to be still, stop busying ourselves with earthly things, and just spend some time with Him, meditating on His greatness, praying to him, reading about Him in the Bible, listening to music that reminds us of Him, and just being silent before Him.  Who knows, maybe He has something to say to your heart. 

There is a story in the Bible about two women who were sisters.  One loved to work and please Jesus by cooking for him, cleaning for him, and picking up after him.  The other loved to sit at the feet of Jesus and just listen to His stories, engage with Him, and spend time with Him.  Of course, the ‘workin woman’ got annoyed with her sister and told her to get to work.  Jesus simply said (and I am paraphrasing); “Work can wait; I would rather have your time than your service.”

Wow! What a cool God that would rather spend His time getting acquainted with us than being served by us.   Unlike many other Kings!  He beckons us to “Be Still and Know that He is God (Ps. 46:10).”   God is much more interested in us chilling out with Him and getting to know Him than us being concerned with perfection, business, and working too hard.  He desires us above all else and wants us to desire Him first as well.  What an amazing creator we have; one who wants to know each of us personally.  Desire to please God more than man; He is not only your judge in the end, but also your Savior from the judge through Jesus Christ (think about that one).

I think it is valuable to note that this concept of “rest” can be applied to those of you (like me) who are Christians and who obsessively try to please God (perhaps because you love Him so much and want to please Him).  I must tell you and me, however, that He is already pleased with you if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior!! So, let us together stop trying to earn God’s approval; Jesus’ Cross did that for us!  We now do what we know is right in our hearts not because we fear God, man, or even the Church; we do it because we love God and we want to do what is right.  This does not mean we don’t love God if we go against our hearts and the Bible and do wrong; it simply means that we are human.  It is time to get off our “high horses” as Christians and admit that we make mistakes and that we are dependent on Jesus.  Not only this, but our work and business and perfectionism for God is pointless; God is pleased with His Son who hopefully lives in you!!! If not, just ask Him; yes, that simple!