Nothing is Something

 

In my slow crawl through Genesis, I am finishing up the account of when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. I happen to think he made a good choice...since her name was Rebekah. :)

But yesterday, as I did my commentary study, I hovered over the part that talked specifically about when the caravan (with Rebekah) arrived back in Canaan where Isaac lived. The verses says that Isaac had gone out into the field toward evening to meditate, and that was when he saw the caravan coming back, carrying his bride-to-be.

The commentator spent some time talking about Isaac's decision to go out into the field to meditate (or pray) and the great value in that for believers.

He talked about how imperative it is for us to carve out time in our days to be alone, to pray, to talk with the Lord, and to cease from the endless busyness.

Gulp.

As Ryan and I have been figuring out our new rhythm with work and church and life, we have had some great conversations about how days should look and how to find a balance between work and rest.

I told him just yesterday that it's too bad our western culture tends to place shame and guilt on time spent in rest or quietness. 

We are really great about carving time out for rest, and then in last-minute rushes, people ask for our help on something and we cast aside our reset time. On the calendar, that time looks like free time, not like an appointment to rest. 

We must get better at this. We must learn to protect that rest time as the important time it truly is. 

Rest does not equal lazy.

Nothing really is something.

Here's the truth I'm preaching to myself as much as (or more than) to any of you:

When I go away on vacation, I do not feel guilty about time spent sitting in rest or in conversation with the Lord. I'm not home. I am not available. I don't feel bad about that time of soul respite.

When I'm home (which is much more often than I'm on vacation), I feel absolutely guilty about time spent sitting in rest or conversation with the Lord - because I see all that needs to be done, and for some reason, I feel like there's a prize for getting it done in the next half hour. I feel guilty for telling someone no or for not answering my phone because I'm home and therefore I should be available. 

It's okay to not be available to the masses.

It's okay to sit alone.

It's okay to do nothing, because it's really something valuable.

This is what we're learning. We are far from proficient at it.

But if you're like the two of us, and you need a little permission to sit alone with the Lord and not be online...not answer the phone...not go to the door...and just BE...then here is your permission.

Nothing really is something. And I am determined to learn to honor it.