wholeness – Matthew Laker

Thinking about Sabbath Rest

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Matthew Laker

In the summer of 2015 I had to take some leave time from work. It was a time for self-care and restoring. I remember sitting in a canoe with my fishing rods. Often when I fish the time is also filled with reflection and prayer. I remember asking God, what do you want me to do this summer? Should I read a book, or go somewhere, or do something? Then the thought came, do nothing, just sit with me. In that statement was the idea of sitting with Jesus, and taking a break from work.

Psalm 23:1-2 says “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

We live in a 24/7 world. I still have this small memory where things were closed one day a week. In my lifetime I have watched how in Canada the general workforce in a lot of areas has moved away from working five days and having two days off to many working 6-7 days a week. At the same time, North America, as a society, has seen an increase in the percentage of people who suffer from depression and anxiety.

In scripture, there is a rhythm for God’s people to practise. For Jesus followers, this is not a salvation issue. God is not going to reject you because you do not keep this rhythm.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he started by declaring that he is the “LORD of the Sabbath” and the meaning of the day (Matthew 12:8; Luke 4:21). In a sense the Sabbath was a stop day from work, it was a day for restoring.

When we look at the Sabbath we can become legalistic and create all kinds of boundaries around the pattern and forget the intent of the law. It’s not about keeping it, (although in a way it is), but it is really about restoring and trusting God. I am beginning to understand that that part of the Sabbath is not just about rest or restoring, but growing my trust in Jesus.

What if Sabbath is meant to be a refuge and not a prison?

There is much research out there now that is building a strong case for the need to slow down and take rest. In my personal life, I have gained wisdom through experience about the need to have a stop day–the need to just sit with Jesus at various times in our life.

The challenge is understanding what work is. Work has changed over time and is different for many. The Sabbath is about taking rest from the work we do. It is taking a break from the regular work of our daily week.

In my life I have seen that by taking a break from the routine of work/commerce has helped to build relationships with my kids, to the point that they anticipate a certain activity that has become a tradition for us. I have seen how it can help restore my physical body. I have found benefits to my mental capacity. I have found benefits in my spiritual walk and often I will take extra time in my prayer and meditation. During this time, I will often take the time to look both back and forward in my life.

I have lots to learn from this practice and believe me, I am not where I think I should be. However, Sabbath rest is something I see in scripture that can help us enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.

I would love to hear about your experience in this area and any lessons you have learned. Do you have a question about Sabbath?

4 Challenges to Entering Wholeness

Posted on March 11, 2016March 11, 2016 by Matthew Laker

A.W. Tozer “Faith, as the Bible knows it is confidence in God and His Son Jesus Christ, it is the response of the soul to divine Character as reveled in in scripture;…” (Tozer, A.W. The Best of A. W. Tozer, Book 1. Wingspread; New Edition edition, 2007. Warren W. Wiersbe (Compiler) p. 172)

Combining faith with God’s word leads to wholeness.

Hebrews chapter 4 speaks about the faith vacant response of the ancient Israelites and how we can be like them. The reason they failed to enter the promise land, aka “rest” or “Wholeness”, was because they failed to combine faith with God’s word.

Hebrews 4:2 “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.”

In my journey with Jesus, even after a long time in following him, I still struggle at times in combining faith with God’s word even though I understand it in my head.

4 of my personal challenges of combining faith with God’s word

a. Looking at life through the eyes of the situation and not Jesus.

I once heard a story of a professor who gave his students a piece of paper and asked them to write about what they see. On the paper was a small dot and the rest was white space. The student wrote as fast as they could and all wrote about the dot. They focused in on the dot and missed talking about all the white space. Sometimes we get so focused on the problem we fail to see Jesus all around.

b. Forgetting who I am

The apostle Paul often reminds those he is writing to of who they are. He calls them to live out who they are in Christ. If I am having trouble combining faith with God’s word, at times I am forgetting who I am in Christ.

c. Having to control everything.

We live in a day that pushes us to make sure we are controlling every element of our lives. I can even have the arrogance in my life to think that if I dropped something everything is over.

There can be an attitude that comes up in this area of “look at all I did.” Combining faith with God’s word is understanding “I do not have to control everything.” I still need to work, but combining faith with God’s word means some things are in fact in God’s control, not mine.

d. Fear as a driving force

Fear can drive so many of our lives. Fear and shame are a direct result of sin in our life. Now, there is a goodness in fear, but it is only to cause us to ask questions.

Questions like: is there a real danger? Sometimes fear stops me because I am putting my faith in keeping my comfort or security or the illusion of power I may or may not have. For many of us God is calling us to let go of fear and live.

Combining faith with God’s word leads to wholeness.

What about you? What keeps you from combining faith with God’s word?

Hebrews 4:16 “Lets us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”

Personal observation between a hydrated (Wholeness) and dehydrated (burnout) life.

Posted on June 29, 2015June 4, 2015 by Matthew Laker

“If you wait until you’re thirsty to take a drink, it’s too late. Your body is already into dehydration.” by Wayne Cordeiro “ Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion”

We were heading out to Canada Day celebration (Canada’s birthday) and one of my kids said, “I am not thirsty. Why do I have to bring my water bottle?” Some times in our physical life we think we can just tough it through, and fail to understand the role of drinking before we are empty.

During a season in my life I was not taking proper rest or self-care. I had become dehydrated in a way. Feeling like life is overwhelming, questioning my calling (work), feeling like I could not even see the path right in front of me. And, struggling with just basic tasks at work.

Have you ever experienced something like that?

Sometimes we find ourselves feeling dehydrated in our life from lack of rest or other circumstances. Given where you are at right now, ‘Are you feeling hydrated or dehydrated, or somewhere in between? What is your reality? Circle where you are at on the scale? How are you feeling?’

(dehydrated) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (hydrated)

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing”

Rest in our life is like drinking water. I was aware of the need to practise rest, and even had some people ask me once and awhile if I was doing it. I will save my reasons for not resting for another time. However, rest is like drinking water. I am learning if you do not keep the rhythm of it, it will take you longer to recover.

On http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/dehydration-home-treatment they share that just for a short dehydration time it can take up to 24 hours to replace all the fluids you lost from just a low or medium dehydration experience.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/recovering-from-burnout.htm says, “Recovery from burnout is a slow journey; not a quick dash to some imaginary finish line. You need time and space to recuperate, so don’t rush through this process.”

The call here is to practise a rhythm of rest, like how we have a rhythm of drinking water. The end results then is my mind, body and soul stay hydrated. We do not want to get to the place of burnout, or moving in that direction.

As I write this I am entering a new season. I have recognized I need to work on a few things, to rehydrate in a few areas of my life.

Here are a few observations and reminders that have come my way.

Taking a break doesn’t mean one is lazy or not valuable.
Taking rest does not mean one is less committed to family, church, calling/work
It’s really hard with a young family to continue to foster my relationship with my wife (spouse), but that is no excuse.
We all need pit crews in our lives.
Boundaries are our friend.
I need to not do all the family house chores on my day off. Spreading them out over the week helps me rest better on my time off.
Scheduling rest before the calendar fills up.
God called me based upon him and not what I have done.
I need to understand what recharges me. I am working on this one.
1 John 3:1
God is at work in ways we are unaware of.
Jesus is the greatest source of life giving water.
The work will never be done.
God gives us rest as a gift.
God is in control.

I have lots to learn in this area. How about you?

What lessons have you learned in practising rest?

How do you do this with a young family?

What is God saying to you?

Depending on what number you circled in the above scale. What are two steps you can take in the next two weeks to move closer to living a hydrated life?