Shift 1 - From Rushing to Resting

Isaiah 30:15-16

Matthew 11:28-30

The Big Idea: Real rest is a 24/7/365 invitation for followers of Jesus.

The Problem:

I’m worn out, overwhelmed, and rarely at rest.

The Ten symptoms of “hurry sickness”:

1. Irritability—You get mad, frustrated, or just annoyed way too easily.

2. Hypersensitivity—It takes very little to throw you into an emotional funk and ruin your day.

3. Restlessness—When you actually do try to slow down and rest, you can’t relax.

4. Workaholism (or just nonstop activity)—You just don’t know when to stop. Or worse, you can’t stop.

5. Emotional numbness—You just don’t have the capacity to feel another’s pain.

6. Out-of-order priorities—You feel disconnected from your identity and calling.

7. Lack of care for your body—You don’t have time for the basics of physical health

8. Escapist behaviors—When we’re too tired to do what’s actually life-giving for our souls, we each turn to our distraction of choice: overeating, overdrinking, binge-watching Netflix, browsing social media, surfing the web, looking at porn—name your preferred cultural narcotic.

9. Slippage of spiritual disciplines—When you get overbusy, the things that are truly life-giving for your soul are the first to go rather than your first go to

10. Isolation—You feel disconnected from God, others, and your own soul.

The Diagnosis:

I live in the wrong yoke and believe the wrong stuff

"Busyness is not a sign of success. It is a sign that we have lost sight of what is truly important in life." - Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

“When we live in constant noise, we forget our mortality, and this world and this life is all you’ve got, and you’ll lose yourself in trying to be everything for everybody. Pretending you are eternal is a miserable, dehumanizing lie - the original lie. We never tire of believing it and never fail to lose ourselves in it.” - Tyler Staton, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools

The Prescription:

Shift from Rushing to Resting 

Hebrews 4:1, 9-11

To Sabbath is to stop, to rest, to delight, to contemplate, to worship, to renew our relationships with God, with ourselves, and with other people.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath because He is the Sabbath. He is rest.

Psalm 46:10

Response:

• Get into the yoke with Jesus

• Practice Rest all day

• Encourage someone in your Oikos

DISCOVERY BIBLE STUDY

► This week's Passage: Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11

► Connection questions:

1. What are you thankful for?

2. What is a challenge you are facing?

3. How did you do with last week’s “I will” statement?

► Have at least one member of the group restate the passage in their own words

► Individual answers to five questions:

1. What stands out to you?

2. What does this passage tell us about people?

3. What does this passage tell us about God?

4. Based on the passage, what is one thing I could do differently starting now and what would happen if I did? (each person commits to their action for one week using an “I will…” statement)

5. Who are you going to tell about what you discovered? (each person commits to having that conversation before the next meeting)