An Ode to God's Rest

Please watch the video blog below as I share my ode to God's rest.  I have also typed out the poem for your reference, but please make sure to check out the video first as it is meant to be heard!  As always, thank you for taking the time out to read my blogs!  You are loved by the Most High!  <3

What does it mean to enter God's rest?  

I can attest 

to living many years striving for success 

marked by a mind overpopulated with matters that lead to insurmountable stress.  

I breathe in short breaths 

and jostle with the threat of unrest, 

a sort of cause and effect, 

accumulated by cheap lies 

that weave ties 

to my past while I'm busy wrapping the present in a box 

and with scuffed up shoes and worn-down socks, 

I tread atop the serpent's head 

and reach forward to deliver it to what lies ahead.  

But the cycle that ensues is what I dread.  

We're bombarded by open doors that offer an escape from this reality

that shimmer and glimmer like the qualities of fame but you'll have to be 

down to exchange your current salary 

for what we are told to act like, look like, think like, and be, 

of overpriced cares you call true religion jeans, 

of true religion schemes that dictate how true disciples dream, 

not prophetically but in fantasy, 

and suddenly we're told that this generation and the next has lost the ability to think.  

But, that is a lie 

spoon fed to us by the powers that lie beneath our beds 

and beckon us to rest our heads on every word they've said.

But, what if we pulled out the seams in our jeans and danced around in worn-down nikes?  

What if our reality somehow navigated the totality of a God who's not ashamed to call us brother and friend?  

He in His triune personality is closer to us than our closest kin 

and when we dance all He asks is that we save the last dance for Him.  

With our eyes on the prize, which is Jesus Christ, 

we soon find that the pressures fall just as fast as they rise 

and so does the price of a truly abundant life. 

You know I've read in between the lines of Psalm 23 

and realize that you and I are no different than sheep.  

We could be led to the slaughter if we bow down to groupthink 

or drawn to still waters, living and available to drink.  

It all depends on who takes our lead.  

The Good Shepherd is distinguished by the yoke that He bears 

and promises that His yoke upon us weighs far less than our cares.  

But to follow Him means we must first learn from Him 

and allow our attitudes to mirror His attributes.  

He is gentle and lowly in heart, 

the opposite of what the world deems "smart" 

but what He prescribes yields far greater results 

than what fellow men try to manufacture and exalt.  

And in this we find the true measure of success--

it is not in our works that He is impressed, 

rather the greatest accomplishment He's expressed 

is entering His rest.

Vivid green pastures and still water scenes 

remind our souls that He's all we need.  

He simplifies our complicated lives 

down to the least common denominator 

which is three 

but for us that means one in the Holy Trinity. 

Despite God's awesome divinity, 

He has for some reason an affinity 

for simpletons like you and me.  

Though we may be puffed up in our self-esteem 

and pride may have dried up our living streams 

connected to our source of everything, 

He is STILL our everything in whom all things consist.  

So we can persist, fight hard, and resist, 

or we can live not meagerly but abundantly 

when our perceptions on reality shift.  

But that takes for us to focus on who Christ is.  

He is rich and offers us the greatest gift 

when we respond affirmatively to this: Is He your Shepherd?  

Because in every other thing, person, or dream, 

we will still feen and strive to maintain or achieve.  

But, if we make Him pre-eminent, 

that thing, person or dream will have lost its sting 

bowing down to His sovereignty.  

And this leads us to the theme of Psalm 23.  

There is no material possession, no person on earth, 

that is worth worshiping over the God we serve.  

And when this message clicks 

and I pray that it sticks, 

He will restore our souls, 

lead us into paths of righteousness, 

prepare a table for us before our enemies, 

anoint our heads with oil, 

and fill us up until our cup runs over.  

We are offered these things undeservingly 

at the greatest expense known to men--

the good Shepherd laying down His life for His sheep.  

And now He speaks, 

"Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".  

These might seem like simple words 

but they are rich when they fall upon ears who believe and agree 

with the last verse of Psalm 23:

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me 

all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever". 

This is God's promise of rest from now throughout eternity.