Resting in God
By Stephanie Gretchen Burgevin. Stephanie is a writer and retreat leader. She is an associate faculty member of Shalem and a graduate of theirLeading Contemplative Prayer Groups and Retreats Program and leads spiritual and secular programs. Stephanie manages Shalem’s blog and is one of the social media coordinators for the Shalem Institute Facebook page.
I was recently at a Quaker women’s retreat titled Play, Nap, Feast, which centered on how we nurture and feed ourselves spiritually. With a title like that, how can you lose?
During the retreat we were asked to move into small clusters called worship sharing groups. In these groups we were asked three queries that we took into silence and prayer. Each woman answered these questions as moved by the Spirit from the silence.
On one of the evenings the groups were asked these queries:
– What do you do for spiritual self-care?
– How do you make sure you’re cared for?
– How do you rest in the Spirit?
The group wrestled with that third question more than any other question during the whole retreat. So profound was the question that one woman in my group said she felt she needed to take that query into meditation for the year.
We can talk about how we open to God as we are meditating, singing, driving, washing dishes, working, being with our family, but how do you rest in God?
It doesn’t seem to be something we easily fall into as adults. I talked with others and the response was more wrest than rest.
All of these queries are questions for the heart, but how do you rest in God?
How we love to play, nap, and feast, but how often our culture pulls us away from these things in the race for success to make the most of the time we have. I notice how often my own drive keeps me from resting. For me, a practice of asking the question, “what would it be like for me to rest in the Spirit right now” helps aliven in me at that moment the fears, drives, and forces that I am building up for myself so as not to rest. Sometimes, just being aware that I am creating these barriers in myself, helps me rest more fully, but (and!) it is a constant maintenance. Thank you for your sharing!
Some wonderful queries, Stephanie. I love the 3rd one, How do we rest in God? For me it’s a bit like basking, savoring, delighting, or listening to the singing bowl, to the very last smidgeon of sound and then I’m there…no where, but there!
It’s a very good thought….. I’m going to practice what Ruth says above – what would it be like if I were to rest in God right now. It makes me feel peaceful just thinking about it. I’m going to see if what happens when I pose it to myself when I’m under stress!