Perpetual Deep Rest

The last several weeks for us have been somewhat adventurous, forcing a necessary stretching flexibility in order to survive. Part of the journey was planned, but some surprises sneaked in that added to the drama.

I traveled to Burning Man outside of Reno, Nevada, to join a team and 50,000 ‘burners’ in a unique desert Arts festival. It is an extreme event requiring grace to thrive in a hot and dusty environment with no running water, community porta-potties, and around-the-clock thumping music and noise. The trip takes all year to plan and is a massive effort to transport a team, all our gear, tents, food and trash in and out for a week.

Five days before that, I had emergency surgery to remove a malfunctioning gall bladder. I almost didn’t get to go to on my trip, but everything worked out fine.

Reflecting on the past three weeks, I find myself amazed at some of the little things. Like beds. I have recently slept in a hospital bed equipped with lights, bells, and whistles, a new young friend’s pillow top bed, a thin mat in a tent (which I lovingly called my dust pit), a cheap motel bed that smelled like a cigarette ash tray, a casino hotel bed, and even a cushion in an RV in a Walmart parking lot. (Some of these were not the most conducive toward sleep). Finally, there’s my own bed sweet bed.

Symbolically speaking, like in dream interpretation, a bed represents a place of rest. A setting of intimacy, a quiet refuge in which a person can be still, unwind from the busy-ness of the previous day and to recharge for the coming day.

We all need physical rest found only in deep sleep, or we do not function at our premium best. Spiritual rest is equally important. The busier we get, the more crucial it becomes for us to relinquish the stress of our chaos and passionately pursue deep rest, so that we can press on deliberately with focus and inner strength.

We release our cares into the hands of the Creator, who knows our circumstances and can manage our cares better than we can. As we allow a restful ‘shifting’, we choose to ‘center’ on what is most important in life. We receive a new perspective. Our dreams are restored and vision for life is renewed. The resulting peace allows us to respond wisely to life’s events, instead of operating in tired, knee-jerk reactions that may cause turmoil.

No matter what is happening in your life right now, no matter what kind of ‘bed’ you find yourself in, you can choose deep rest and peace, even if you feel like you are in a war zone. It takes a conscious decision for downtime in spite of life’s distractions. Spirit will meet you there.

I have too many things to do today. But first, I think I will go take a nap….