Rest: A Poem

Posted On August 20, 2021

God,

I’ve had a word on my mind for a while now.

And I don’t know what to do with it.

Is it from you?

I don’t know, maybe it is.

Sometimes I have a hard time knowing.

The word makes me wonder, God.

Do I get the wrong idea sometimes?

I live in a fast-paced world

Where you are forgotten.

I want to remember you.

And I want to live in the world

Without becoming it.

How?

I don’t know.

I’ve had a word on my mind for a while now.

“Rest.”

Is it from you?

What does it mean?

Sometimes I’m too busy to think, God.

Sometimes I forget to rest.

The world is full of darkness, God.

I see it everywhere,

And sometimes it scares me.

How can I rest when the world is full of darkness?

How can I be still when I’m afraid?

God,

Sometimes you just don’t make any sense.

And you know, maybe that’s a good thing.

You’re God.

And you rest.

So, why don’t I?

I can hear your quiet voice again, Daddy.

“Rest in my love for you,” I hear.

“Shhh… be quiet. Just listen.”

Well, I don’t really feel like resting.

I almost talk myself out of it three times.

But underlying my thoughts is your quiet voice,

Your invitation to come and simply be.

It really makes a person think,

Doesn’t it?

Maybe we all need that invitation.

Maybe you just want us to listen.

My heart feels heavy, God.

I’ve been looking at the darkness and my heart is burdened.

So when I finally accept your invitation, you ask me to lay the heaviness at your feet.

“Okay,” I say.

“I didn’t really like to carry it anyway.”

I unburden myself and I close my eyes and I listen.

“Rest,” you say.

It’s a struggle.

Don’t mistake me.

Resting is not easy.

But I sit still and keep my eyes shut and try to hear something from you.

But… there’s nothing.

Your quite voice is gone now.

Still I listen. Maybe I’ll hear you somehow.

I need to hear you, God.

Still there is nothing but the silence.

Nothing but the sound of crickets and birds in the morning.

The sound of the trees rustling in the wind.

The sound of my own breathing and my heart thumping in my chest.

And in the silence, God, I feel a simple holiness.

Oh.

I think I understand now.

I’m listening to the silence, God, and I am filled with peace.

It’s beautiful.

The sound of rest.