Art of Advocacy: Learning Rest

I had the joy of being able to guest post on my long-time friend’s blog today, Peggy Spencer: Through the Storms, about rest and being an advocate. Here is a snippet:

Although Peggy and I went to the same college group, our friendship has grown mostly not in-person, arguing over Facebook, blogs and the like for the last nine years. I greatly admire her stubborn perseverance, whether it’s facing grief, becoming a writer, following Jesus, or having a family. And just as admirable, is that although she will get in your face, she will also humbly back down when God shifts her thinking. Peggy, for one, understands grace.

Even so, I am not sure she understands avoiding the bull’s horns. She plowed right into a series, what she calls Coordinating Life and Hope, which is one big huge masculine bovine. (I know this because this subject also happens to be the main topic of my blog, the Average Advocate).

Although we all realize the importance of helping and loving others, trying to write about how to do this and getting people to read about it is just tough. From what I understand (gleaned from both reality and from studies), people have a hard time caring about what doesn’t affect them personally. Yes, if there is a hungry child sitting on our doorstep we will respond. Maybe even a hungry child in our local school. But in the Horn of Africa? Cambodia? Someplace else really far away?

We only have so much margin in our lives, time to consider where our involvement lies, time to commit, money to give, and emotional stability to offer.

And let me tell you, loving the broken and hurt requires A LOT of margin, something I, an “expert” on subjects like human trafficking, poverty, or community development, barely understand myself. Truly loving and helping others requires availability.

And then, rest.

Ironically, when I asked Peggy what she’d like me to write about for this series, she responded with “Oh, whatever you want. But we are talking about rest in October.”

Rest!? Really Peggy? Can’t you make it a little easier on me? You want me to write about how people can be involved, about how they can DO, but within the context of rest?

I love you Peggy, but you essentially just asked if I could write a post on the most difficult topic for me, ever.

Why? Well, this is my story: I am a girl (erh, ah, woman) who is HORRIBLE at resting.

Please read the rest of my story and support her by looking at the rest of the post here: