God as a Massage Therapist

For 10 of the last 17 days I have been sick. One virus came and went quickly only for my body to be infected by some other, longer lasting illness. Though I could chalk it up to being exposed to many more germs while being in school (which is definitely true), I feel like there's a deeper source of all of this. There's something the Lord (and my body) is trying to tell me..."You need rest".

Ah, rest. What is that? It's more than just sleep; I get enough sleep. So, why am I so tired? Now, before I continue, let me preface by saying that I do in fact read other authors besides John Eldredge. It just so happens, that my heart tends to connect with his words in a powerful way. Lately, I've been reading his most recent book Walking With God. I'm also going through the companion journal to help me really stop and connect with what I am reading and ask myself those hard questions. Here is something that struck me today:

Now, rest is just one of the ways we receive the life of God. We stop, set it all down, and
allow ourselves to be replenished. This is supposed to happen regularly. I think the original
prescription was weekly. So why does rest feel like a luxury? Seriously, it feels
irresponsible. We think we can drive ourselves like oxen fifty weeks a year, resurrect in a
two-week vacation, then go back and do it all again. This is madness. My pushing and
striving cuts me off from the life I so desperately need. I don't even think to stop and ask, Is
this what you'd have me do, Lord? Do you want me to paint the bathroom? Volunteer at
church? Stay late at work?...We have to make ourselves available to it. There is a lifestyle
that allows us to receive the life of God. I know that if I will live more intimately with Jesus,
and follow his voice, I've got a much better chance of finding the life I long for. I know it. If
I will listen to his voice, and let him set the pace, if I will cooperate in my transformation, I
think I would be a much happier man. And so, a new prayer has begun to arise within me. I
am asking God, What is the life you want me to live?

So, I did that this morning. I stopped and asked the Lord what is the life he wants me to live. I listened...He said, "I want you to live a life in which you can breathe"...I listened some more..." He said, "I want you to live a life in which you talk to me in the moment about what's going on, not just when things get too hard"...I listened again..."A life in which you listen and are still before me...a life in which you can see me in everything around you." Then, he reminded me of the swing.

A few years ago, I was having a hard time understanding the concept of God serving man. Since I often think in pictures, I asked the Lord to give me a picture of what that looked like. When I closed me eyes, I saw him swinging me. It was such a wonderful picture. I was on a regular swing, with a wooden seat hanging from two ropes. My feet couldn't even touch the ground. All I could do was hold on, stretch out my legs, and enjoy the ride. And I was joyful, so joyful.

Isn't that what it looks like to rest in him though? To just let go and trust him, knowing that our feet never really touch the ground (though at times we like to think they do). It makes our job so simple...we just have to sit there and relax.

Sometimes when I am giving a massage to a client, I find him or her trying to help me with the massage instead of relaxing and letting me do the work. Now, I realize that either he doesn't realize he is doing it, or he is just trying to be helpful. Nevertheless, it can make me sad for that person because I think that maybe she doesn't know how to receive, maybe he has a problem with control, maybe she doesn't really feel like she's worthy to receive rest, or maybe he just doesn't trust me yet. If only she would rest and allow me to do what I am trained to do, then the results would be so much better.

I've never really thought of God as a massage therapist, but can you see it? There we are on the table, who knows what's really going on inside of us. As we allow ourselves to rest more in him, then he is able to go deeper and deeper into the layers that haven't been touched in who knows how long, bringing us into deeper rest and, ultimately, healing. All we need do is crawl on the table. And there, my friend, is another picture of rest.