Submission
unto rest. That’s been my motto recently. When I wake up at 6 A.M. and am
immediately greeted by sweat and stickiness, I have to remember. When I’m stuck
in traffic and covered in dust, sweat, and fumes, I have to remember. When a
lesson goes bad, or when my moto won’t start, or when my stomach disagrees with
what I just had for lunch, I have to remember. “Submit. Rest.”
When
a student asks a deeper question, or when I finally remember how to say a Khmer
phrase, or when I hear a story of a student or of a neighbor who has been
transformed, I must remember, still: “Submit. Rest.”
In
all things, submit. Let it be as natural as inhaling air. In all things, rest.
Let it be as natural as exhaling.
I’ve
been asking the Father to lead me into this rhythm. I have days where I see his
grace at work. I have days where I am incredibly different than my natural self
tries to be. This is a sure sign of sheer grace, when we are not who we were,
but rather who we will be.
I
have days where I stumble, too. In fact, no day is perfect. It is difficult for
mortals to learn the rhythms of the Timeless One.
Here’s
what I’ve been hearing, lately. Another step. Another note in the rhythm of
life. Submission and rest have to do with how
we live; the next step has to do with what
we do. And there is glory in such submission.
When
we submit ourselves to the Father, we walk in his rest. As we walk in his rest,
a remarkable thing happens: he fills us with his grace. But this grace isn’t an
end unto itself. Here’s the miracle: when we submit unto his rest, he fills us with whatever he has purposed
for the accomplishing of his purposes. Think about that for a minute. Think
about all the “greats” of our faith’s history. Were they anything special? No.
They simply took the Father at his word: “Come unto me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And in coming to him, and receiving
rest, what came next?
More
labor—but without burden.
This
is what happens when we submit to his rest. Does one need encouragement? May
the Father find a submitted son who rests in him, and fill him with a sense of
urgency for the one who is discouraged. Does another have need? May the Father
find a submitted daughter who rests in him, and fill her with compassion for
the needy person. Is anyone lost or anxious or lonely, or wrathful or prideful
or even hostile? May the Father find his own children submitted in faith to his
will, and walking in his promised rest, and may he fill them with all his gifts
and empowerment to do his will.
The
crazy thing is that this really does happen. And when it happens—when we labor
from this position of resting submission—we seldom notice the burden that it
brings. In fact, we just might find joy where once we found sorrow, peace where
once we found pain, and hope where once we found despair.
May
we submit to him today. May we rest in him today. And may we labor through his
grace.
-Ryan
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