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Having trouble resting in the Lord? Is ‘rest in Him’ a theoretical concept, not a reality? Perhaps you have read with a bit of envy of Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus in Lu 10:39, for you are stuck in Martha living, with drama-filled days and stressors coming at you from everywhere?
I found a website with the article, “12 Ways to Sit at Jesus’ Feet (When You Have Neither Quiet Nor Time)” ‘Just what I needed,’ I thought, 12 more items to put on my ‘to do’ list, LOL!
Looking for rest? “Chew your food.” Like mama said. Our nervous system has two amazing ‘subdivisions.’ One – is the Sympathicus: fight/flight, elevated heart rate, inhibited digestion, pancreas, gall bladder activity suppressed. It releases adrenaline. ACTION, baby!
The other is Parasympathicus: feed/breed, rest and digest for it increases saliva, reduces heart rate, and stimulates the activity of digestive organs, pancreas, gall bladder.
In today’s world we are stressed—pressured to DO DO DO, act, react, fight this, resist that, run, shout out. Guess which one this stress stimulates. It’s no wonder rest can be so elusive!
Our adrenals get worn out, our digestive system never gets sufficient blood – food sits undigested. We feel exhausted by stress – and we are. Muscles feel bad, our immune system suffers, hormones go crazy, our thyroid slows down; we can have mood shifts, experience sadness, lack of motivation, and depression. AND anxiety, bi-polar, schizophrenia. AND inflammatory GI disorders, including ulcers, colitis, and Crohn’s disease. It’s not demons directly affecting you, it’s the stress!
But – this may sound crazy, but if you are stressed — chew your food! 40 seconds before swallowing! It is giving your saliva enough time to begin breaking down that food, making life happier for the rest of your digestive tract. This ‘forced rest’ is stimulating your Parasympathicus nervous system. You are encouraging your body to REST, and digest. Your tummy thanks you, your moodiness will go, you’ll sleep better and be happy for a change.
So don’t gulp, but chew. And then, while you are chewing – resting, look up to Jesus, give Him thanks, and LISTEN to what He’s saying to you. Chew your food — and COME ALIVE!
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