True Rest

To continue from where I left off yesterday...

It seemed that the major theme of our prayer time Tuesday was "REST."  We talked about how tired we are, how hectic our schedules are, and how we just never seemed to get rested.

But then we also talked about how noisy our lives are.  Television.  Computers.  Radios.  Music.  Crowds.  It just seems our lives could be termed "overstimulated."  And I have an aversion to being overstimulated, so you'd think I'd avoid it at all costs. 

But I have a theory.  The more you immerse yourself in the noise, the less it bothers you. 

I actually don't like listening to talk radio when we're traveling.  But Andy does.  So when we travel, I take a book while he listens to the radio.  I can tune it out.  But it's a static noise that I get used to.  In fact, Andy will comment on a point made on the radio and I'll have a "Huh?" reply and he'll ask, "Weren't you listening?"  No, I wasn't.

Andy has always liked to fall asleep to noise.  When we moved into this house for the 2nd time, we put a TV in our bedroom for the first time ever.  Immediately, Andy began using the timer on the TV at night and we'd fall asleep to that noise.  Now I have a hard time going to sleep without it.

I can have the TV on and be working/playing on the computer at the same time.  Am I watching the TV show?  Not really.  But I think I've gotten used to noise and just don't like dead space.  I'm addicted to noise now.

There was a time when all of my children were in school for the first time ever and I spent hours reading the Word of God--learning and growing.  I hated noise at the time.  I never turned on my TV.  I spent hours each week with my friends in prayer and spiritual battle.

Now?  I find it hard to find time to open my Bible.  I'm just being honest.  Noise has crowded my life.  It has exhausted me.  And I think I'll only begin to find the True Rest once I turn off the noise.  I told my friend, Jodina, whom I met and prayed with during those productive years, that we'd had the privilege of hours and days and weeks of meeting and praying and battling together.  I wondered if our children, who grew up in the technological age, even know what quiet is.  And would they know what to do with it if it showed up at their house.  (I'm not being critical...just actually wondering!)   Me?  I'm going to have to re-learn. 
To be continued...