Why is it so easy for us humans to get caught up in doing this and that, yet we miss the bedrock of being God’s kid?
Doing, doing, doing, but not being tethered to Him equals worn-out, tired souls. Tether first to Him and drink from His well throughout the day. It is easy to give from a cup spilling over, but exhausting to give from an empty or half-filled cup.
Why do we need this lesson so often? It’s like time being with God IS our battery pack, but we forget and run only on our own energy. Somehow, we forget our relationship with God in all the to-dos.
Connecting with God doesn’t start with adding a bunch of to-dos to an already tiring life. It’s rooted not in doing a bunch of stuff, but in BEING God’s much-loved kid. It’s a way of learning to hang out with and get to know this God who is invisible.
God offers relief and real help to people who are tired, worn down, and exhausted. And this is what He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)
Example: Zoey Orients to God
Zoey stops by her friend’s house on a Saturday morning and says, “Oh, Susan, I’m tired all the time. And people keep asking me to volunteer—yesterday I was asked to be the nurse for a summer camp.” Her shoulders slump as she pours herself a large cup of coffee.
“Zoey, our culture focuses a lot on doing, but you’re tired and trying to regain energy. Will picking up those tasks add or take away your energy?”
“Take away! It’s just one more burden. One more responsibility, I’ll be flat on my face, down in the dirt, feeling like someone’s standing on my back.”
“Ugh, that’s heavy! I think it’s time for you to learn how to rest in being God’s much-loved kid.”
“What’s that mean? How would I do that?”
“It means we are going to the park today, girl! Grab your coffee. I’ll get chairs,” orders Susan.
The women head to a park with roses. Susan sets up chairs and meanders over to the roses. “Mmm—smell these!” Zoey walks over, leans down, and smells a rose. Her eyes light up. “I love that smell!” she exclaims.
The two friends settle into their chairs and sip coffee as they watch bees buzz around, collecting nectar.
“This is great, but why are we here?” asks a puzzled Zoey.
“Well, when we’re worn down, we can do life-giving activities and connect to God in the process. Being out in nature is life-giving.
“Recognizing that who made you—God—also made creation. Seeing the beauty, hearing insects buzz and children laugh, smelling roses—this lets us engage in the world using our five senses. And, of course, tasting coffee! Using our five senses helps us experience creation while having a break from thinking. Does that make sense?”
Zoey ponders Susan’s words for a few minutes. “Yes, it does! Last week, I sat at the coast, hearing the waves, feeling the sand between my toes—I forgot my troubles while I sat, enjoying the sunshine.”
Zoey sips coffee and continues, “But I didn’t think about God. I just enjoyed the experience through my senses.”
“Yes, isn’t it a great break for us to be outdoors! Helps quiet my overactive mind and body when I’m overwhelmed.
“We don’t always need to think about God. We can have a lovely morning, hanging out together and enjoying the park. Nothing wrong with that.
“But notice what happens inside of you with, umm, two different made-up scenarios of two women visiting at a park.
“First scenario: One woman says, ‘Wow, this is really beautiful. I’m so glad God gave me eyes to see this!’ The friend says, ‘Me, too! Isn’t He good to us! And He brought you into my life when I really needed a good friend!’ And the two women sit in silence, enjoying the beauty of creation and God who made it, as well as their life-giving friendship and God who caused their paths to meet.
“Second scenario: One woman says, ‘Wow, it’s really beautiful here. And it’s great to hang out with you today—we don’t get to do this very often.’ The other says, ‘No, we don’t! This is special. How about we thank God for all the good stuff in this moment?’ And the two women thank God for His care, His presence in their lives, creation, and their friendship. And then they continue visiting until it’s time to go.”
“I like the examples, especially the first one. God brought you into my life when I really needed a good friend!” Zoey’s eyes tear up.
Susan’s expression softens even more as she puts a hand over her own heart and says, “Oh, Zoey, I love being a part of your life!”
Zoey pauses to collect her thoughts. “I think what I am learning is that I can connect to God in ways I haven’t thought about…When we take time to notice God being the one who created everything, it adds depth to our visit.
“And if one of us remembers that God is with us right now, if we say that out loud, the other person benefits from that. Then both of us are reminded that we have a—what are those words you often tell me—a ‘With-God’ life.
“It’s like we can do the same outing and have a good time or we can add in remembering that we have a ‘With-God’ life. Connecting with Him…that adds something. Gosh, I don’t know how to explain it. But it feels good…it feels very different.”
“Yes, doesn’t it feel different!”
“Gosh, Susan, this feels helpful. I can do this! This isn’t too hard for me. It’s like taking a small but important action that shifts my whole perspective to include God at the center.
Zoey detours briefly, as she slumps, looks down, and says quietly, “You’re gonna think I’m stupid and I should work harder…I’m really not liking the Bible study I am in…I don’t have the energy. I can’t figure out what they’re talking about. I never get the homework done.
“But this,” Zoey sits back up and looks up at Susan—this is doable! An idea just came to me. I know how to describe it—it’s kind of like orienting ourselves to God!”
“That’s a great way to explain it—orienting to God. Love that! Ooh, I’d like to use that phrase with others. Is that ok with you?”
“Ha, you’re gonna use something I came up with…I hardly know God! Sure, if you think it’s good enough.” Zoey’s face turns red.
“It is good enough! ‘Orienting to God’ sure beats overthinking in an anxious and worried way, which I do way too often. It captures the idea of us turning towards Him and that we keep turning back towards Him when we’ve gotten disoriented. See, I’m still learning and growing too.”
The women pause to say hi and wave at a mom with little kids. Susan continues, “Hey, what do you think about us ‘orienting to God’ right now?”
“Yes! Can I start? Can I try first? I love this idea because I can go the whole day forgetting to connect with God. And sometimes, I’m shut down and can’t even connect to myself, let alone connect to God. But I think I can do this—what you’ve talked about!” says Zoey.
Susan chuckles. “You sound eager. Go, girl!”
“God,” as tears begin trickling down Zoey’s face, “God, you gave me my friend Susan who loves me and encourages me. How could you give me such a beautiful gift when I have lived so badly! And you want me to be with you, which I can hardly even imagine.
“But I can imagine it because you love broken people—and that’s me! And to connect with you, I don’t have to do Bible studies where I feel stupid and slow. We are doing it right now, that connecting thing, together, me and Susan and you. We are living a ‘With-God’ life, right here in the park with you! Thank you for loving me…oh, and for loving Susan too!” Fishing Kleenex out of her pocket, Susan wipes her eyes and blows her nose.
“Amen! What beautiful words and what a beautiful heart you have! That gave me goosebumps!”
A few minutes later, Susan adds, “You know, about Bible studies. Some studies require a lot of effort, and there’s a place for that.
“But when you are a trauma survivor and dealing with low energy and new to ‘Orienting to God,’ that kind of study may be too rigorous for now. And it’s not because you are stupid—it’s because brains that are running in survival mode often can’t take in a lot of information.”
“That makes sense. I like the idea of me not being stupid!” Zoey looks at her watch. “Oh, gosh, it’s time to go!”
“Yep, it is. Hey, before we leave, I want to know how your connection to God feels now.”
Zoey, with a smile, gives a thumbs-up.
Do This First: Draw Near to God
Sometimes we are told we need to do many things to follow God. The list can be heavy, especially for trauma survivors. But what’s needed most is to learn to draw near to God. Zoey discovered one way to draw near is by “Orienting to God.”
It pleases His heart when we draw near. This is so important, that it bears repeating. Drawing near to God pleases the heart of God. Isn’t that amazing that, even with all the struggles and the things we do that hurt others, that when we draw near to Him, He is pleased!
Even people who have known God for a long time can forget at times that our relationship with God is the foundation in our lives. Being with God, hanging out with God, resting in being God’s much-loved and wanted kid are vital to our whole being. Resting and enjoying “being God’s kid” recharges us in a way that nothing else does.
Many trauma survivors didn’t feel safe as kids and grew up with adults hurting them. Because of this, trauma survivors really need to experience this loving God who is safe for them. And God has to show them how to learn to feel safe and how to connect to Him and other people.
Additional ways to engage with this piece
- How’s your battery today–doing ok or needing a recharge? Take some time to recharge if it’s low! 🙂
- Do you recognize yourself in a part of the article?
- What feelings or body sensations do you experience as you read it?
- What does this article remind you of in your own life? Any kid or adult memories?
- What part of this article touches your heart or is hard for you?
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