Today I decided to post something maybe not so typical of “freshfitnhealthy”. Sometimes, I like to just share my thoughts, feelings, and journey through life as I experience it.
Have you ever heard a song over 100 times, yet when hearing it at just the right moment and truly listening to the lyrics of it, it resonates so much inside of you or evokes strong emotions?
On my run last night, I was listening to my christian worship songs I have on my iPhone, and this song’s lyrics just hit me…
“Taking hold, breaking in
The pressures all need to circulate
Mesmerized and taken in
Moving slow, so it resonates
It’s time to rest, not to sleep away
My thoughts alone, try to complicate
I’ll do my best, to seek you out
And be myself, and not impersonate
[Chorus:]
I tried so hard to not walk away
And when things don’t go my way
I’ll still carry on and on just the same
I’ve always been strong
But can’t make this happen
‘Cause I need to breathe, I want to breathe you in
The fear of becoming
I’m so tired of running
‘Cause I need to breathe, I want to breath you in
I want to breathe you in”
(Breathe You In by Thousand Foot Krutch)
Some of the lyrics I’ve bolded are what specifically resonated inside of me last night. In a world that is constantly screaming in your ear to do this and do that, sometimes (almost always) I’ve realized I forget that I need rest. Not just physical rest at night as I sleep (even though I have been lacking in that category as well up here on the college schedule), but just mental rest.
“It’s time to rest, not sleep away”. Wow. How often do I find myself either so extremely busy that I’m never resting and enjoying the little things God has provided for me as enjoyment? Or the other extreme, that I am going at such a pace, that I’m just “sleeping away” through the motions of my day to day schedule of “things to do”, and not truly living on purpose.
What do I mean by living on purpose? I mean that I believe God has created us for a purpose, and that each day He places things in our lives, either things that will grow us, or things that allow us to better others or the atmosphere we are in. But when I allow myself to get so busy in the world’s day to day chaos (which is so hard not to), I truly feel like I miss out on so many of those things.
Like I always wonder, how many times has God placed someone in my path on a certain day, that truly needed some words of encouragement or just someone to talk to…yet my mind is so set on the next thing I have to do, that I just say a passing by “hi! how are you?” Not really allowing for a genuine conversation to begin.
And then more of the lyrics stood out as the song continued to play. “Not try to impersonate”. This world is constantly screaming in our ears to be “normal”, to fall into the “perfect girl” mold that society has made up in their mind. Good looks, the newest, trendiest outfit, straight A’s, very involved, successful career…the list goes on and on.
But again, I believe God has made each and every one of us unique. Each with a specific purpose. Like Psalm 137 says, we are each “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Yet sometimes I find myself just “trying to fit in” to what the world tells me I should be.
My purpose in writing this? Just to share where my heart has been. For me, I need to take a step back and simply rest. Truly quiet myself, and breathe God in. I need to not try to impersonate others around me, but be myself. I want to quiet those complicating thoughts inside of me, constantly thinking of the next thing I need to do or the next thing that may stress me out, and live on purpose. Simply put, I want to live FOR God. Breathing Him in each and every moment.
Have you allowed yourself true rest? Are you striving aimlessly to be like those around you, or are you allowing your unique growth and character to develop so that you can become God’s perfect YOU?