Has someone ever spoken something that just broke you in the best way possible? I’m not talking about mean or hurtful words. I’m talking about truth- when God’s spoken word just breaks you and you know you’ll never be the same.

Last night was Growth Group- that’s what we call our Bible study group that meets every other week. We are currently watching a Matt Chandler video that is taking us through the the book of Philippians. If you’ve never heard of Matt Chandler, you should look him up. He’s the pastor at The Village church located here in North Texas, and he’s got an amazing testimony & passion for teaching God’s Word.

His teaching last night broke me. Seriously, crushed me to the core. So much so, that I almost got up and walked out. He taught over the following verse-

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:4-5 (ESV)

This is a pretty popular verse, chances are you’ve heard it. Let me explain why it crushed me.

During this video session Matt was talking about how this scripture calls us to rejoice in the Lord…always. Every second, of every day…rejoice. He said that’s easy to do when things are going well… but what about when things aren’t so great? What about when life falls apart?

He used the example of the time his son fell into a seizure. Barely breathing, he had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital. In the chaos of things, his wife hopped into the ambulance and Matt followed in his car. As he was trying to keep up with the ambulance, he fell behind and eventually lost them. Not knowing what hospital they were headed to, he called his wife and she didn’t answer. Basically he said he found himself sitting at red light, completely lost and completely helpless.

It was at this point in the video where he said, “In tragic situations like that, when there’s nothing we can do… How do we rejoice in Lord then?”

I can’t tell you how mad I was while he was preaching this message. I kept thinking, “What about Gideon? How am I supposed to rejoice in his suffering? How am I ever going to be able to stand at his funeral someday and still rejoice in the Lord???” Thankfully the Holy Spirit must have kept me in my seat, because the anger that was flourishing within almost made me leave the room.

Matt went on to say, that the key was in the last part of the verse. Let me show you-

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” Philippians 4:4-5 (ESV)

We can rejoice, every second of every day of every week of every month of every year… because the The Lord is at hand. He is near. We’re not rejoicing because we are happy about our situation, but because the Lord is with us. In that horrible, terrifying, and seemingly hopeless moment, the Lord is right there by our side.

I’m sure you have been in a moment like that. Maybe you are there right now. Maybe you’re like me, and you know the storm is still a ways off, but it’s coming. The clouds are looming in the distance and the forecast is bleak at best. Listen carefully to God’s word- “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!….for the Lord is near!”

I love the rest of chapter 4 in Philippians. Take a second and read the verse in context. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

In the midst of my anger last night I realized that I may never understand why my son was born with PBD. But I also realized in my brokenness, I want to experience God’s peace over it, so I’ll rejoice. Not because the circumstances are great; but because God’s word tells me that when I rejoice, He’s with me. He is close to those who are brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) and He’ll never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

And for that, we can rejoice… Always.

I love this photo of my son. He was about 2 months old at the time it was taken and every time I see it, the phrase God, give me rest! comes to mind.

I felt like that for the first 10 months of Gideon’s life. I had ZERO rest- and not just the normal, tired-new-mommy-no-rest. I mean NON-EXISTENT rest. If you’ve ever had a colicky baby or an infant with a disability, then you probably have an idea of what I’m talking about.

Gideon didn’t sleep day or night. They told us he was just colicky, but as we now know, he just had genetic disorder that wouldn’t allow him to sleep… EVER!! Throw a three year old into the mix and you have the perfect setting for a Lifetime drama show were the mom loses her marbles.

This idea of REST is fresh on my mind because of my P31 workout class. REST is our focus for this week and our verse is from Psalm 37:7

You may not have a child like mine- where after 10 months, you finally just close the door and shut the monitor off. But chances are you’ve experienced a season of ZERO rest. It could be a result of problems at work or home; or maybe you’re not resting because you’re in a constant state of stress or anxiety. But no matter what you’re going through, you need rest.

Did you catch that? Let me emphasize it again- YOU NEED REST. It’s a true necessity. In fact, we’re called to rest.

During our devotion this morning, Jamie (my P31 workout instructor), reminded us that God spent 6 days creating and on the last day he rested. If you were raised in church like I was then you probably know all too well that he rested on the 7th day. It’s an easy Bible trivia fact. But have you ever thought about why He rested?

God didn’t (nor does He now) NEED the rest, but He knew we would. So He did what every parent does (or should do)… He set the example anyways.

He knew you’d be enduring this loss.

He knew you’d get this diagnosis.

He knew you’d be facing this season of uncertainty.

He knew you’d NEED rest. 

I hope you’ll join me and take at least 10 minutes today (and every day) to find a quiet place to just rest- no electronics, no loud noises, no thoughts about your to-do list… Just find time today to turn it all off, sit back and REST.

Maybe pray something like this as you do…

God, I’m so weary and so worn out. I’m carrying the weight of the world right now and it feels like I’m never going to overcome this mountain. Thank you for allowing me to lay it all down at the foot of the cross so I can be free from the weight I bear. I’m trusting in You.

God, give me rest.  

I must admit I had a pretty good morning. I got to workout, shower and eat breakfast all before Kevin left for work. THAT my friends is a successful morning around here- especially since Gideon wakes up between 5 and 6 demanding to be held and attended to every second that he’s awake.

When I got home from my 5 am workout Gideon was doing his high pitch squeal to let me know he was ready to get his morning started. I laid him on the changing table and stuck the bottle in his mouth. For some reason, I didn’t have everything “ready” so changing his diaper took a bit longer than usual and this is a problem for Gideon.

Let me explain why.

Gideon has the ability to hold his own bottle without any assistance for, at most, 60 seconds while he’s lying down- which means my diaper changing skills have to be quick. It’s like I’m defusing a bomb while the Mission Impossible theme song is playing in background. The reason he can only hold it for such a short time is for two reasons- 1) he has low muscle tone due to PBD and 2) Gideon has to press on his eyes every few minutes due to his visual impairment.

Anyways, as I fumbled through a long & embarrassing diaper change, Gideon kept dropping his bottle and crying. He was hungry, tired of holding his bottle and he had a deep desire to put pressure on his eyes. The reason I tell you this is because I found myself beyond frustrated. I think at 14 months old my little boy should be holding his own bottle longer than 60 seconds, right?!?!

Thankfully in the midst of my frustration the Lord reminded me that those 60 seconds that Gideon could hold his bottle were not a burden, but a blessing. I can’t tell you how many moms I know that wish their babies could hold their bottles for at least 5 seconds. Or how about the mamas out there who wish their babies with feeding tubes could simply drink out of a bottle??

In my frustration and in my self pity, the Lord showed me that my burden was actually my blessing.

What burdens you today? What are you carrying around or facing that seems to be weighing you down? Can I loving suggest that you try a different perspective? Maybe the Jesus wants you to see what a blessing your burden really is.

It’s by no coincidence that my P31 workout instructor this morning quoted Mathew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Pray and ask God to remove the veil from your eyes. Whatever you see as a burden in your life, whatever brings frustration, chances are there’s a blessing in the midst of all of it.

Choose to see it.