An old saying that dates to the Middle Ages identifies three significant obstacles to our resting in relationship with Christ: “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” The Bible affirms all three. It teaches we live in a fallen, broken world. We are born with a sin nature longing to put us instead of God on the throne of our lives. We also have an enemy who seeks to destroy our relationship with God. 

Why does finding rest feel so hard?

There are some obvious reasons:
- We live in an instant-gratification, more-is-more, hyper-stimulating world. When we live in an environment with no “off” switch, it is hard to say “no” because it doesn’t seem like anyone else is.

The story of Return and Rest begins more than a decade ago, in the summer of 2014. I was parenting and homeschooling my two sons, who were nine- and six-years-old at the time. I had recently taken on a leadership role in Classical Conversations, a national home education organization we were part of.

Welcome to the Restored and Rooted blog. I’m Elizabeth. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t reading and being shaped by the power of words. I’m also a lover of the Word, Jesus Christ, who shapes us by His power.

The Bible speaks often about two different realms, asserting that there is more going on than meets the eye. In Biblical terms, these realms are two different kingdoms: one earthly and one heavenly; one natural and one supernatural. 

Sometimes we get sucked down into discouragement because we simply cannot manage to lift our eyes see anything other than the problem or challenge in front of us. Have you ever felt like this? Stuck? How about stuck and nervous?
I’ve been known to spend time there.