This week we are continuing our series about the importance of investing in others, especially younger generations. Last week we talked about beginning that investment by making sure our faith and relationship with God is something worth passing on to others. We took a close look at Deuteronomy 6:4-6 which says:

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”

Today, we are going to be taking a look at the next verse in this passage. In verse 7, it says:

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

In many ways, last week was the “what “of investing in the coming generations. The “what” is faith and a relationship with God. Now we are starting to get into the how, or maybe more specifically the when, of this investing. How do we invest in others, especially in the next generations? How do I make time for that in my busy schedule? When do I teach? Do I need to be in a classroom or teaching a Bible lesson? Do I force people to sit and listen?

This verse helps us to answer all of those questions and more. The direction we see in Deuteronomy 6:7 is that we talk about and teach these things all the time as we go about our day together in relationship. The verse says that they were to talk about these things with their sons when they were sitting in the house, when they were out walking somewhere, when they were going to bed at night, and when they woke up in the morning. That pretty much covers all day wherever they were. 

As you read that verse, you might be saying that’s great but I don’t have kids or maybe that your kids are grown and out of the house. That’s alright because the principles that we see in this verse still apply to each and every one of our lives no matter what stage of life we are in or what circumstances we face. At the time Moses was speaking to the men of Israel, their primary relationships were with their families, specifically their sons. Our lives and culture today look different at times, but the command to share our faith with others and the principles for how to do it are still valid. 

While it is imperative that parents teach their children about God, we can and should do the same with anyone we are walking alongside in life. As this verse demonstrates it’s not necessarily something that we need to go out of our way to make time for and it doesn’t have to be some formal Bible lesson, not that there is anything wrong with that at times. Instead, this verse is challenging us to make the most of every moment. There are teachable moments happening all around us everyday, everywhere we are, and in everyday conversations. We need to begin to ask God for wisdom and sensitivity to recognize these moments. Whether it’s a child or senior adult or anyone in between, there are moments that come up in conversations and sharing life together where we can teach, remind, encourage, or talk about who God is, His commands, or how we love Him or trust Him. God will provide moments each and everyday. It’s our job to recognize them and be faithful to follow through with them. 

So, who will you be with today when you’re sitting in your house, school, office, or a waiting room? Who will be with you when you’re out for a walk, driving around, or on a bus? Who will you be on the phone with, FaceTiming or texting with? As you go about your day, wherever you go or whatever you do recognize who God has placed in your life. Then keep your ears and eyes open for the opportunities He is giving you to use the normal everyday things of life to talk about Him and His principles as you share His love with those around you.

We have featured several articles talking about the Wonder aspect of Discerning Wonder, but for the next few Mondays we are going to be exploring the importance of discernment. When you look up the definition of discernment, it is the ability to perceive or recognize someone or something. Having discernment is important in so many parts of our life.

The author of Proverbs actually emphasized the importance of this as well when he said:

“My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.” (Proverbs 3:21-24 NLT)

I have heard many people make comments like “Common sense seems to be in short supply these days” or “It really seems like people don’t have common sense anymore” or even asking “What’s happened to common sense?” As much as it seems like this might be a new sign of our times, it really isn’t. As a very young child I remember hearing people describe others as “not having enough sense to come in out of the rain” and other such things. This is unfortunately a common aspect in life at times.

As much as we hear people talk about and lament an apparent lack of common sense, we don’t really hear as much discussion of discernment. In some ways common sense and discernment go hand in hand, but discernment goes even a little further. While common sense involves recognizing and applying seemingly basic truths and principles, discernment means being able to recognize or perceive deeper truths and understanding. You might say that common sense requires slowing down enough to think before you speak or act, but discernment requires slowing down enough to take time to observe, reflect, evaluate, learn from the past and recognize and apply important patterns and principles.

Maybe that’s why it often seems that common sense is lacking and why we barely even mention discernment. Both require us to slow down a bit. The world around us is so fast-paced. It seems like everyone is in a hurry, and there are so many things demanding our attention, so many things we feel like we need to get done. In our rush and hurry and fast-paced world, are we losing some important things? Jesus modeled the idea of slowing down for us in so many places in the Bible, including in Luke 5:15-16 where it says:

“But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

It seems like the busier things got, the more Jesus would take time to slip away into the quiet and pray. That is itself a demonstration of discernment. We know the importance and benefits of rest, but with a lack of discernment we ignore it. We know the importance of time with God and learning to rely on Him and dwell in Him, but with a lack of discernment we ignore that too. Jesus was busy. Crowds were demanding attention. Disciples needed to be taught. Ministry needed to talk place. He had an important mission and a short amount of time, but Jesus had discernment. He knew that to accomplish what needed to be accomplished He needed rest, but more importantly He needed time with the Father so He could know and do the Father’s will.

If Jesus needed this, how much more so do we?  Being discerning begins by stopping long enough to take time to rest and dwell in God’s presence. In doing that we can begin to ask Him for guidance and discernment. When we are rested and pause to seeking God’s wisdom, we are in a much better position to begin to really see things in a way that allows us to exercise discernment.

You might be like me, and none of this sounds really new to you. We know that this is what we should be doing, but we still find it hard to actually find the time to slow down so we can dwell with God. Depending on the season of life we’re in, it can be really challenging to find the time and we might even worry about what will happen if we stop for a few minutes, but I want us to take a careful look at those verses from Proverbs 3 that we started out with:

“My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.”

Do you see what we’re told happens when we choose to do what it takes to hang onto common sense and discernment? “They will refresh your soul.” “They keep you safe.” You won’t be so anxious as you try to fall asleep, and you will be able to sleep better.

Sometimes choosing to take time to do the hard, seemingly impossible, things are what set us up to be in a better place. My prayer for you today is that you will be able to discern ways to find moments with God and seek His discernment in your life.

Part of being able to Discern Wonder includes being able to discern what we need. We won’t have the capacity to discern the wonder around us or lead others to if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. As leaders in church, ministries, homes, and businesses, we have to begin by leading ourselves. We can’t lead others well if we’re not leading ourselves. Part of learning to lead yourself well means using discernment to determine what it is that you need.

Being able to discern what you need starts with knowing where you are in your relationship with God. How is that relationship? What do you need there? Do you need to spend more time with Him? Do you need to spend more time in the Word or more time in prayer? What does that look like for where you are in your relationship with God? What is he telling you in that area of your life?

Beyond that, we also need discernment in our rest. One of God’s commands is for us to take a Sabbath rest. While we find that in the Old Testament and some may say that is a part of the Law and we are no longer bound to it, we also see that Jesus frequently spoke about the Sabbath as well. In fact, He said that the Sabbath is for man and not man for the Sabbath. It’s not about following a legalistic view of Sabbath that restricts and binds us, but more about the fact that we need rest and time with God. Even modern scientific research backs up the fact that we need rest. If you’ve ever had a few sleepless nights, that fact becomes obvious. So we need to use discernment to figure out what we might need to do to help us rest well so that we can be recharged and ready to lead ourselves and others well.

Another area that we need to use some discernment in involves our time. How are you managing your time? Are you using discernment there? Are you spending too much time on work or too little? What about the time you spend in ministry, church, or with your family and friends? Discernment is so important in many areas of our life. When we talk about how to be discerning with our time, I go back to starting with God. Prayerfully seeking His guidance asking Him for discernment and wisdom for what and how He is directing you. I can’t help but think back to last week‘s article about the importance of dwelling with Him. The more we dwell with Him the more He gives us discernment in these areas. When we learn to hear that still, small voice speaking to us and telling us exactly what it is that we need and what it is that He has for us, we begin to see the path we need to walk to enjoy the abundant life He has promised. That definitely should be our starting place: dwelling with Him and seeking Him for our discernment.

Beyond that though, He gives us other tools to help us. The tool of wise counsel can be very helpful as we look for discernment in our time and other areas. Again, we need discernment to determine sources of wise counsel. Figuring out who to go to and who to listen to is important. I don’t know that we want to take advice in this particular area from someone who isn’t living in a way we want to follow. If someone is burned out or making poor decisions, they might not have the wisest counsel for us unless it is pitfalls to avoid.  We can look to people who are setting good examples of the way we want to live. They won’t be perfect examples, but seeking their counsel can be helpful.

There are other tools out there that can help us as well. One example is last month’s book review on Sacred Rest. There are also tools to help us take time to set or evaluate our priorities. I have gone through and helped others walk through exercises of focusing on what it is they feel called to do, how they’re using their time, and whether those priorities and their time management are aligning. This can be a very eye-opening exercise for all of us. We all go through tough seasons and have moments where we’re are living more in survival mode than anything else. During those seasons we’re doing what it takes to get us through, but if we stay in them for too long, we can easily start drifting and losing sight of our purpose and priorities. At times like that, it can be very helpful to take a step back to really think through and discern where God has us and what we are called to be doing. Taking a close look at what we’re doing and why we are doing it can help us realign with the priorities that God has for us.

If you ever find yourself in need of some reflection or tools to help you discern what it is you need, please consider using the contact page on this website to reach out for some personal coaching. I’d be happy to help walk you through some tools to help you lead yourself and others well.

Last fall, I had the immense privilege of taking a four week Sabbatical. Before the Sabbatical I might not have used the words “immense privilege” to describe it, because the work that it took to prepare for it was beyond exhausting. By the time the Sabbatical started, I definitely felt like I had earned it and needed it. To say that I was exhausted would have been an understatement.

Besides the preparation of making sure that all of my job responsibilities would be covered for the the month that I was gone, I also was making preparations to make sure that the Sabbatical time itself was intentional and productive in helping me rest, renew and refocus. One of the things that I did in preparation for the Sabbatical time was read the book that I reviewed yesterday, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity by Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D. I was so glad that I had stumbled across her book in a podcast shortly before my Sabbatical. It really helped me understand the different aspects of rest and how those might be best incorporated.

I already knew that just sitting at home, watching tv or reading wouldn’t be the rest that I’d need during my Sabbatical time. Reading Dr. Dalton-Smith’s book helped me incorporate many different types of rest into that time. I discovered that many things including trying new things which for me included kayaking, taking a drive to view fall colors, enjoying quiet time and times with music, spending time with friends and time alone, and so many other things all helped contribute to my restfulness and feeling renewed.

All of these things helped me feel more rested, but I also took more time to just spend with God, to enjoy my relationship with Him just for the sake of our relationship not to study or prepare or anything else. The rest and peace that I felt from that truly enabled me to enjoy the other types of rest as well. During that time with God, I was really challenged by the idea of dwelling or abiding with Him. I know the verses well like: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. Yet during this time, God really challenged me that I was putting other things like my to-do list and productivity ahead of actually dwelling with Him. As I explored this more, I realized just how much more restful dwelling with Him is.

If you’ve made it this far in this article, you might be thinking “That’s great and I’m glad you had this great Sabbatical, but I’ll never be able to do that.” And yes, I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity, but many of these things that I learned about rest can be implemented into life outside of Sabbaticals. I know this because more that six months after my Sabbatical, these lessons are still shaping and helping my daily life.

The reminder of the importance of dwelling with God and depending on Him instead of my obsessive to-do lists is still a valued part of my life. Am I doing it perfectly? No. Are there still days that I neglect my relationship with Him? Yes. Do I come back to dwell with Him much more quickly? Yes. Do I value that relationship and dependence on Him more? Absolutely.

The understanding of the variety of ways that I can and need to rest is also still very crucial in my day to day life. Again, I don’t do it perfectly and some days or weeks are better than others. There will always be more demanding seasons in our lives or times when it is more of a struggle to find the time for rest, but as we realize the importance of dwelling with God and resting it becomes more of a priority to seek to consistently make them part of our daily lives.
I think of the verse, Psalm 34:8, which says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” As we get a taste of the rest found in Him and that He desires for us, we will find ourselves craving it more and more. So even if you are busy, like we all are, and think you have no time to truly dwell with God or experience rest, I challenge you today to start where you are and carve out a few minutes or more to spend time with God, learn more about what rest you need, and start to experience His rest. If you think you have no time to carve out, then I challenge you to really take a close look at your time to see if that’s true. Can you give up some time on social media, or watching tv, or playing games? Do you have a few minutes in the carpool line, in a waiting room, or could you wake up just a few minutes earlier? I have to remind myself of this at times, but trust me, whatever the sacrifice it will be well worth it.

​I first heard of the book, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, in a podcast featuring the author Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. I was intrigued by what I heard from her and about the book because like so many people I had been struggling with feeling tired all the time. When someone would casually ask how I was doing, so often the first thing that would come to mind was “tired.” I felt like I tried to rest, but never felt rested. For one of the first times as I listened to this author speak, I heard someone explaining why my “resting” didn’t always leave me feeling rested.

In her book, Dr. Dalton-Smith explains that: “Much of what we consider rest fails to work because it is not restful.” She also takes time to explain the difference between sleep and rest, saying that sleep itself is not rest, but rest makes our sleep better. The book explains that many things that we think are restful, like escapism, are actually not helping us rest in a way that helps us recover and renew our energy. She approaches this extensive look at rest from both her medical and faith backgrounds giving a well-rounded, well-researched point of view.

Thankfully, the author doesn’t just explain what we are doing wrong when it comes to rest, but the majority of the book explains what is needed for true rest. She says that “The most effective rest occurs when we are purposefully reviving the parts of our life we regularly deplete.” Dr. Dalton-Smith goes on to explain that there are seven different areas where we need rest: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, sensory, and creative. As we deplete ourselves in each of these areas, we need to rest in ways that help us recover and replete those specific areas. If our senses are exhausted from the noise and other inputs of life, then sitting down to watch tv or a movie for a few hours isn’t going to help us rest and feel renewed. The same idea is true for each of the seven areas. Different types of exhaustion, need different types of rest.

Dr. Dalton-Smith not only shares about these seven areas of needed rest, but she gives very practical ideas on how to rest in ways that can renew us in each of those areas. In case we weren’t already convinced, she goes on to share a dozen different gifts that rest gives us: from freedom and acceptance to permission, productivity, and choice.

All of these ideas were like a breath of fresh air to me, and might be to you as well. Dr. Dalton-Smith asks a question with a powerful suggestion , “What steals your rest? Answering this question helps reveal the benefits of having boundaries and the gift we have in setting boundaries within our lives.” Recognizing the specific things that steal our rest and even more importantly the areas where our rest has been depleted, helps us determine the kind of rest we really need.

This book includes a Personal Rest Deficit Assessment and also a link to her free 7 Types of Rest Quiz. In this online quiz, you can determine the areas where you are most in need of rest. When I took this quiz it was simultaneously eye-opening and also very affirming of what I was feeling. After taking the quiz I spent about a month trying to implement some the types of rest that were suggested in the book. After that month, I retook the quiz and saw improvement in most of the areas.

If you are struggling with constantly feeling tired and exhausted, and feeling like nothing you do makes it better, then I’d highly encourage you to take some time to check out this book. For me, it is definitely going to be a periodic re-read to remind myself of areas where I need to proactively rest and replenish. I hope it might be as helpful to you as it was to me.

This is week six in our series on what Scripture teaches us about the value of wonder in our lives and ministries.
 
Today’s Scripture passage is Luke 5:26 (NLT)

This verse comes from the passage where Jesus was preaching to a room so crowded that the only way a group of men could get their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing was to go up on the roof and lower their friend down into the middle of the crowd. Jesus then forgave the man’s sins and healed him. This verse, Luke 5:26, was the crowd’s response to what they had just seen.

They weren’t just quietly wondering. They were “gripped” with “great wonder and awe.” When was the last time that you were gripped with wonder and awe over something that God had done? That word “gripped” gives me a picture of wonder and awe closing in all around me, surrounding me, and making it impossible to ignore. When was the last time that you simply couldn’t ignore the wonder of God in a moment?

If it’s been awhile, is it because God doesn’t do wonderful and amazing things that often anymore or is because we’re just failing to be gripped? I fear that it’s become far to easy for us to evade this grip of wonder and awe. We’re busy and move right past it without looking or giving it time to grip us. We’re so focused on other things we miss the moments entirely, or maybe we’ve just come to expect those moments and take them for granted.

Maybe we need to slow down just a bit so we don’t miss or just brush past these opportunities to be gripped with wonder. You may be saying, “That sounds great, but you don’t know my schedules, the demands and responsibilities I have. I don’t have time to slow down.” Do you have time not to? If it’s been a while since you’ve been “gripped with great wonder and awe,” then I would wonder how your soul is doing? I know when I get caught in seasons that are so busy or stressful that I stop noticing the wonderful and amazing things that God is doing around me, whether I want to admit it or not, I feel it in my soul. Instead of wonder and awe and praise filling me, I find myself struggling with discouragement or discontent or envy or bitterness or even anger.

So I ask again, do we really have time not to slow down and take notice of the wonders that God is doing around us? In difficult times, it might start out with looking for the small everyday things that we have been missing: a sunrise, a sunset, a flower, a interesting cloud formation, something or anything that reminds us that God is good and still pretty amazing. It also might start with going back to John 3:16, Romans 5:8, or another favorite verse that reminds us how much God loves us and how truly wonderful He has been to us.

I would challenge you, and me, this week to start opening our eyes to the wonders around us and then respond as this crowd did by praising God and exclaiming to ourselves and others that “We have seen amazing things today!”

I chose Discerning Wonder as the name for this ministry for a variety of reasons. I'll share some of the other reasons another time, but today I want to talk about the most important one by taking a closer look at those two words.
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Discernment is where we begin. It is crucial in both life and ministry. We use discernment everyday in big and small ways. Throughout Scripture we frequently see discernment partnered with wisdom and are repeatedly called to practice discernment with the help of the Holy Spirit.

We need discernment from God in our daily lives, and while there are many important things we should be discerning, perceiving or recognizing each day I would suggest that wonder is a very important one.

When we're young, the world is filled with so much wonder, but as we get older busyness, pressures, and cynicism so easily keep us from seeing the wonder around us every day.

As someone who has been in church ministry for over thirty years, I've also seen how easy it is to lose our sense of wonder. We start out full of wonder at who God is and what He has done in our lives and the lives of those around us. That wonder and gratitude fuel our passion for our calling and ministry and service.
                   But along the way we get busy.
                   We get stressed.
                   We get burned out.
                   We get misunderstood, hurt and taken advantage of.

We lose our focus on what God has done. We lose our focus on GOD.
We've lost our wonder.
               Wonder at the amazing things He does every day.
               Wonder at what He has allowed us to be a part of.
               Wonder at His love for you and me.

I don't know about You, but I could use more wonder in my life. I want to start noticing the beautiful, the unexpected, the inexplicable and even the unexpected and feel the surprise and admiration, awe and thankfulness of the Mighty God who saves and sustains!