Eastertide
April 22, 2015
Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.—Psalm 23:1-3
I don’t know about you but I vacillate between needing my body rested and my soul restored and that is why this Psalm is so very important for me. I have experienced what is called “being burned out” and I think that is when both our bodies and souls need to be restored but it is most often one or the other. Right now it is my body that needs attention but the reason it needs rest is because I have been a part of some wonderful service recently that has filled my soul. I have been fed by some dedicated Christian women who knew what needed to be done and did it in a coordinated, collaborative way that was a blessing to all involved. I will, however, benefit from some planned moments in the near future beside still waters.
I retired from a 35 year career in public service several years ago. The idea of retirement had been tossing around in the back of my head for a couple of years. I just did not believe I was making the difference I was called to make within the confines of the job that I had. The problem was, in all honesty, I was not sure who would continue the work that I was doing and I thought it was important. About that time my body said it needed an overhaul and after major surgery, I was forced to the green pastures and still waters of six weeks of recovery. During that stent I came to realize I was no longer answering my call from God through the job I was doing as I had felt throughout my career and my first priority had to be answering that call. I turned in my retirement papers on the first day I returned to work and truly have never looked back.
God calls us to wholeness. To do that we must care for our bodies by doing all those things we have heard since birth: eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep. We must develop our minds while building social relationships of family, friends, and society. Finally, we must rest in God for all these other attributes of life are held together by our souls in relationship with God. This week let us all live into Psalm 23 whether we need rest for our bodies or nurture for our souls.
Prayer:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God. Amen.