Dormant but not Dead
God gives us permission to rest during seasons of healing, even if these seasons take longer than others think they should. Your soul may be dormant, so you do less (or seemingly nothing) to serve God, but your soul is not dead. Taking time to heal is not a sin, and you must neither judge yourself nor allow others to do so. The Bible is full of stories of godly people who were spiritually and emotionally wounded, and they needed time to rest. In our modern world, resting and pulling back from extra activities may seem unproductive, and many aggressive people will accuse the exhausted and wounded people of being lazy. They are not. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to take a nap or rest in some other way. So please join us as I explore the Bible’s stories of the wounded and exhausted saints so you can give yourself permission to heal whenever you are exhausted or wounded too.
Last week a pastor described a season when he was so wounded, he could not sing worship songs at church. He had the spiritual wisdom to realize he was not sinning. Yet he said that legalistic people would have judged him for not singing. While the pastor did not share the reason for his spiritual wound, he admitted he needed a significant period of time to heal. He also reassured his audience that he did heal and eventually was able to sing the praise songs in church again.
Exhaustion can burn out people even if they do not suffer from spiritual wounds. The work-oriented secular world praises the addiction of work-a-holism. Secular workers use praises like these: “Burn the midnight oil,” “Work hard; play hard,” “Burn the candle at both ends,” “Clock overtime like it’s a hobby,” “Survive in the dog eat dog world,” “You have to fight to get ahead,” and “You snooze; you lose,” etc. But the Scripture disagrees with these phrases. Look at Scripture’s response to these clichés: Isaiah 30:15b “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength,” and Jer.31:25, “For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing,” and Matt. 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.”
It is so easy to forget these sweet Scriptures and believe the work-addicted clichés. Ads taunt us claiming us we are not enough, or we do not have enough. Bosses might shame us if we reject frequent overtime and instead request a 40 hour work week, only working overtime during rare emergencies. Women are shamed for asking to work part time, so they have more time for their families. Some insist that shaming is an important part of the modern women’s movement, even though the truest “women’s movement” should empower women to do whatever God has called them to do for their own well being.
The secular world praises its idols of work, money and power. As a result, people are considered expendable. And when Christians say they need to listen to God and not the culture, they are mocked, shamed, and even fired for wanting to work at a healthy pace.
Sometimes our churches become too work oriented too. Many churches say at least 60% of the congregants do not volunteer. So the remaining 40% of members tend to carry the full load of volunteer work. And if churches cannot find volunteers, the church must hire paid workers. This means the church cannot donate as much money to overseas missions, which discourages those who want to honor the Great Commission found in Matt.28:19-20, “Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In the end, people in the church and in the secular world can fall into the temptation to work harder than God has called them to do, and then they burn out.
Age and maturity can also impact burning out. My teen daughter was serving in many capacities. She served on the youth group worship team (every week), as a dance teacher’s assistant (at one point in 8 classes each week on top of dancing in 5), and in Sunday School (our church calls it KidzKrew.) On top of that, our home-school curriculum, Abeka is very challenging. I had noticed that Lindsey seemed less motivated in school and in doing chores. Eventually she began going late to dance (which has been her passion for years.) Finally, she simply said she was burned out. I realized that at 15, she just needed to be the young girl she is, and not do so many leadership things the way a grown up does. I thanked her for her honesty and urged her “Just be a kid for a while.” I gave her grace about school, and I even suggested she not choreograph and perform a solo for the fall dance recital this year. She has taken a break from the worship team, and she plans to work with older (less challenging) children in the fall for Kidzkrew, and possibly only serve half as often.
Some might judge my Lindsey, but I know her heart. Since she admitted she had burned out, she has not turned her back on God, even while not serving on her youth group’s worship team. She has actually begun to have fun practicing the guitar and singing, often to praise songs. But no one is pressing her or giving her a schedule, and so her soul can rest. Furthermore she still closes her bedroom door and reads her Bible. But for now, she is resting and being the young teen she is, not a mini adult. She needs this time to heal from taking on too many responsibilities for a teen-aged girl.
But spiritual and emotional wounds can also come from trauma. That trauma may have happened to us as children and we are only now feeling the pain of it, or it may be a recent trauma. Either way, we need to bring that pain, confusion and anger to the Lord, and another person (often a trained counselor.) I have spoken often of the need to heal from anything that causes emotional damage, and I don’t want to go into detail about that in this post. Instead I want to address the need to rest, due to dealing with a trauma or healing after one.
We may not like the slow pace healing takes. But remember, the Lord calls us to trust him. Sometimes the waiting can feel like God is disciplining us, but we can trust him. For example, Deut. 8:3, “Think about it; as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” But while we are waiting to heal, God promises he will follow through. Look at Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” Then look at Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Really, so much of Scripture speaks of God comforting us and healing us. Here are several such verses: Isaiah 49:13, “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones.” And 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction…” and 1 Peter 5:10, “and after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” And Isaiah 40:31 “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” And Psalm 91:1-4, “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.”
There are many other wonderful verses about God being a refuge for us while we heal. Our struggle may be in wondering why it takes so long to heal, and in that, we must wait in faith, not knowing the exact amount of time. But during that time, no one should judge you for doing less and resting. If you have prayed and have peace with God, then the rest you need is part of your worship to God through your obedience to him; yes resting can be a form of worship to God, without any singing or other outward service. Remember Jacob’s young son, Joseph, waited upon the Lord, even after he was wrongly sold into slavery. He suffered for thirteen years, but God had mercy on him, and eventually he was reunited with his whole family. Joseph served God as well as he could during that time of waiting.
So whether you can do much or little while you heal, you can still be in God’s will. Romans 14:4, “Who are you to condemn someone’s else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive the Lord’s approval.” No one should condemn you while you serve God sincerely. Romans 8:33, “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.” No one has the right to judge us when we are in God’s will, even if we are resting or healing. No one else can tell us how long this healing must take place, and often we do not know either. But these seasons of healing do end. We do find strength again, as the pastor did who could not sing praise songs for a season, and as my Lindsey will do too, as she allows herself to be a child and then decides how much leadership to again assume at a later date. You also will heal, and when you do, you will rejoice! And I will rejoice with you!
Thanks for joining us in this week’s post. I plan to write a part two to this post next week. I pray we have blessed you, and if so, please let us know, and share any prayer requests you may have!