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Allergic Reaction To Rest and Work - Part Three
{Links are provided at the end of your reading.}
Reshaping The Spiritual Immune System
As we journey through a reshaping of our spiritual immune system, we'll engage with a slow and steady approach. Think in terms of rhythms—Sabbath Rhythms.
I left off in Part 2 talking about our broken systems, which exacerbate the internal disconnections we encounter with rest and work. I'm referring to these as allergic reactions because on a very real level we're dealing with our spiritual immune system.
It bears repeating that there will be much to unlearn, even more than there is to learn, and it'll be ongoing, so be kind to yourself and allow the unburdening to occur a little here and there.
And if you're on a journey with someone, don't rush them, love them. Don't "fix" them, walk with them with loving boundaries. There was a time you didn't know what you now know. We're all vulnerable. We all need Love's unswerving transformation to lead us in stages.
Let's keep in mind that rest affects the way we work, they are both equally blessed, and they are holy and honorable. But whenever we elevate a gift above the Giver of the gift, beyond its proper place, the soul's immune system goes amok.
In Part 2, I provided you with a soul care worksheet and encouraged you to notice these five areas:
COGNITIVELY
EMOTIONALLY
SOCIALLY
PHYSIOLOGICALLY
SPIRITUALLY
We'll only address rest in this post. In part four, we'll address work. So what did you discover?
How do you generally react when rest comes into your proximity?
Are you allergic to rest?
Defining our Terms
Here's what I mean when I say...
Rest: To cease striving.
Work: To engage God and others in one's strength and gifts.
Immune system: The defense system, the gatekeepers.
Virtue: The good and pleasant.
Allergic reaction: When the immune system starts to fight.
Stages: The distance between two places of rest on a journey.
Journey: A course traveled over a period of time.
Freedom: Where the Spirit of the Lord is.
Humility: The gift and gateway of unburdening oneself from the feelings of deservingness.
Gratitude: Recognizing and praising the Giver of all one's gifts and blessings.
People who have rest allergies are familiar with restlessness, but restlessness isn't the only distressing symptom. Rest allergies also make people highly agitated, unable to detach from work (or any form of "doing") when appropriate, operate in a perpetual loop of unmet expectations and chronic disappointment, to name a few.
Why The Allergic Reaction?
Some of our soul allergies are a result of living in a fractured world and its fractured systems. Some can be attributed to what developed within us during the formative years with our family.
And yet, later on in life we can also develop them if our spiritual immune system becomes weakened by an overexposure to harmful or traumatic environments. The good news is that there's hope.
How To Treat Rest Allergies
It is a hope that invites the possibility of pain and difficulty into your life with the anticipation that something beautiful and God-size will happen. So how do we reduce the allergens of entitlements, unhealthy attachments and ego?
Breathe
We get an air purifier, that's what we do. Because breathing clean is essential. Just like we would if we desired to filter pollen, dust mites and cat dander, etc., we need to filter the comforts and the comparisons that harass the soul. The filter of humility and gratitude will immediately began to trap the comparison dander, sorta speak.
Breathe in that assurance of His encircling muchness. Breathe in the rest that's offered in every stage of your spiritual formation. It will feel all-consuming, let it form you. It will feel daunting, let it rearrange your assumptions.
Yes, even in the hard to see moments where all you know is interference. Dare to see Love's invitation to know Him in the fellowship of suffering, a suffering that produces an intimate audacity where attachments, entitlements and egos are striped of their security blankets.
Freedom is Uncomfortable and Disruptive, But It's Unburdening
To experience the wide open, abundant spaces of freedom that we have inherited in our Beloved, Jesus, we'll need to get discernment and wisdom in the area of our attachments.
Research has suggested that healthy boundaries often include the ability to attach and detach when appropriate, foresee relational and task dangers and employ drawing the healthy and distinguishable lines.
Love's communion and intervention encircles us in His undiminishing comfort and shalom. It's dosed perfectly for every stage of the journey.
ONE
Partner with Him for the great levels of personal insight that await you.
TWO
Ask Him to show you the healthy boundaries and connections (in your relationships and tasks), which will replace the unhealthy ones.
THREE
Be patient in the healing process. Give your soul permission to rest, relinquish and receive. One of the ways to give your soul some therapy is to set aside a bit of time each week to color.
Download one (or all) of the four free coloring SOULution pages provided. Click the link below, which will take you to the SOULutions Gallery page. Scroll down and simply click the image of the coloring page you'd like to print. You can also save it to your computer for future use. - Shalom
Be Loved. Breathe. Ponder. Pace yourself.
Until next time,
Scribble. Speak. From your soul.
Links for further discovery Subscribe & Listen to my Soul Care Podcasts
Part 2
The Allergic To Rest SOULutions Worksheet
Sabbath Rhythms SOULutions Tracking Companion
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#rest #rhythms #comparison #comfort #attachments #entitlements
