Stop The Chase

STOP THE CHASE

I’m not exactly sure how it happened.

We were in Walmart. It started out fun.

My son was chasing my youngest around clothes racks. Like kids do.

She was laughing and out of breath, until she wasn’t.

It was dizzying.

Suddenly it was no longer fun for her.

The smallest trip~on nothing. All carpet.

No visible reason for the fall.
Except the chasing.

She began to cry. It was unusual for her to cry. She wasn’t dramatic and could tolerate pain better than any 4 year old I knew.

The chasing got to her and the tears did not stop.

After a trip to the ER our worries were confirmed. She had a broken collar bone.

No more chasing. Just rest.

She got to spend time with daddy. She wore his shirt because it fit the best over her brace. He read to her. He held her.

Isn’t that how it is with us?
What has happened to us?

This generation is full of busyness.
Our calendars are full, our days and even minutes are packed.

Always on our phones. Thinking, planning, doing.

The feelings of guilt if we choose to rest, or try to rest.

Why have our lives become a constant chase? We run around in circles until we become dizzy. We want to say no, but the chasing continues. And then, with no visible reason to the outside world, inwardly we lose it. We fall, and the pain becomes unbearable. We can’t continue, and all the while God is telling us to rest.

Just rest.

And so we listen. We stop. We spend time with Him. We put on His armor like a comfy shirt. Ephesians 6:11

We lean on Him~~but not long enough.

And pretty soon, as we try to rest, as we try to read His words or pray, our phones start to buzz. That notification. That text. That email. That appointment. That need.

And our rest is no longer rest as we’re drawn into the chase again.

As hard as it was to see Kathryn in pain that day, it was even harder a week later. Her brace had come off sometime in the night and the next day her daddy had to put it back on. Her pain in the repositioning was worse than the actual break. Her cries were absolutely heartbreaking to this mama.

And that’s how it is with us. We get to the point where we think a few hours on Sunday is enough. But God needs to be our brace every single moment, not just a few hours on Sunday. And when He is no longer our brace and we think we can do this crazy, busy life on our own, the inward pain only becomes worse and God brings us back to the place where He alone is our brace. He alone is our rest. Psalm 116:7, Psalm 46:10


Stop the chase. Set time aside to rest. It isn’t just a suggestion. It’s a command from God Himself. Exodus 20:9-11

Why is it so easy for us to see the importance of obeying every other commandment He gives~ i.e. adultery, stealing, murder... but neglecting the one that Christ Himself chose to do? Mark 4:36-38, 6:31


Stop feeling guilty for obeying His command.

The world says go, go, go. God says stop.

When I came back into the room after her cries had softened, she was in her daddy’s arms. He was telling her it was okay. And she believed him.

Believe Him.

He’s telling you it’s okay. Put your phone down. Shut your notifications off. Go for a walk or a drive. Take in Gods beauty all around you. Or just close your eyes. Think on it. Think on Him. Hebrews 4:9

Let Him hold you and be your brace. Every single day.

And rest in Him.

Psalm 27:14