It’s the rest of the week. What would you like to rest from right now?
"When you get to the top, you better have a place to land."
You may or may not remember this quote from one of my early posts three years ago. I heard it on a podcast where Carey Nieuwhof was addressing a question we don't usually think about as we are striving to reach our goals:
Once you've achieved that thing you were hoping for, what then?
When the glow fades, will you feel afraid that you won't be able to live up to the success? Or will you feel the stress of thinking you have to now do something even bigger or better?
It's easier to be aware of our need to live from the inside out (secure regardless of external voices or circumstances) when we feel discouraged or like we aren't measuring up--when something feels wrong. Hard times have a way of refocusing us.
But what keeps us grounded when we experience success and receive approval, applause, and affirmation?
As wonderful as these things are, they can easily lure us back into living from the outside in--living in response to external pressures instead of our values, and striving to keep someone's approval instead of being our own self.
There's an interesting comment about how Jesus handled a positive response to miracles that he'd performed at a public event:
"But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people..." (John 2:24)
I can't help but notice how this approach matches the God's advice to a very weary people on the verge of being rescued from exile, penned by the prophet Isaiah (51:12)
I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans who wither like the grass and disappear?
Maybe this is one of the reasons Jesus says his "burden is light" and invites weary people to come and find rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28-30).
Whether we are being praised or criticized, it's good to know that our ability to rest and be OK is not dependent on someone else's assessment or on an external standard we're trying to live up to.
Whether you're feeling on top, at the bottom, or somewhere in between, you are still you.
May you know yourself and may the voice of the One who loves you most drown out the cacophony of everything else.
And may your rest be sweet.
Alicia