But after four weeks, the sprouting stopped and my plants seemed stunted. What in the world? How did these quick cultivating shoots go from 60 to zero in no time flat? I have learned lesson after lesson that relates to life from these little hydroponic wonders. And here was another one . . .
Did you know if you even slightly interrupt the rest cycle at all for these little plants, by introducing or removing light at the wrong time, then you have to restart everything? You have to go back to the beginning, wait 14 days and be consistent, giving them plenty of light for them to cultivate again.
They require plenty of darkness. In other words, they require rest. If they don't get it, they never come to fruition or bear fruit. In fact, if they don't receive the rest they need they will ultimately die. And because of my lack of knowledge, I overdid it. My little sun soaked plants were worn out thanks to my ignorance. They received no rest, no darkness, no place to hide. In my inexperience, I lit them up! Isn't more light equal to more fruit? Nope. They died.
Wow, did you catch that? I did. And how does this relate to many of us? In a world and church culture of "Go, go, go and do, do, do" how much do we talk about the importance of rest? Is it even a value? Do we outwardly encourage it but then undermine its importance by paying its practice no heed? Do we puff ourselves up with pride as we keep our break-neck speed way of life, all the while drowning in our schedules that cause our fruits of the Spirit to fall to the floor? And maybe the question we could be asking if we notice "less fruit" in our ministry and lives isn't "What do we have to do?" but "What do I need to NOT do?"
Sounds counterproductive, sounds absolutely crazy. But this is an upside down Kingdom where sometimes less really is more. There was a reason these little plants never got to the flowering, fruit producing stage. And there might be a reason the church is not always arriving there too.
And in these words, I am talking to myself. In this past season, if I were to be evaluated on my resting skills, I would probably receive failing grade. And what was all this lack of rest producing in me? Not much . . . fruit. Burning the oil at both ends in order to be more productive only left me more agitated, less productive and less emotionally present and available for those who need me.
But I am learning. I finally had my pj day; a day where I got up, did no impressive workouts, no tidying up, grinding, pushing or pressing-in. I wore the same thing I woke up in from sun-up to sun down. I even skipped out on a social gathering while my family attended, all to soak in the silence of a noise free zone.
And all I sensed in the silence was a whisper, "In your weakness, I am strong."
Before this day, my mind had begun to spin into a subtly prideful narrative "Look at my efforts, Lord. Why aren't they ending in the things I am wanting to see?" the question begged deep down.
Yet, on Pj day, as I sat in solitude, seeking Him, I sensed the comfort of a repeating thought, "Now that you have stopped working, I can work on your behalf." Ohhhh. My constant efforts were in His way. The act of resting is actually an act of trusting. Its an act of leaning into the arms of The One who is always working. Its a declaration that He is at the helm, not me. And its only as I find my rest in Him that I will truly grow and bear fruit that matters.
Cycles of Biblical Rest:
The Sabbath or Shabbat: a once a week 24 hour period of rest. Traditionally this first occurred in Genesis account of Creation, where God Himself rested from creating the world. If its vital for Him, isn't it vital for me?
The 7 year resting of fields: Leviticus 25:1-7. Farmers were to only grow and prune their fields for 6 years and then give them rest on the 7th year.
Year of Jubilee: 7 sabbath years x 7 which equals 49. The 50th year was to be a year of rest for Israel. Leviticus 25:8-54
