Choose the Ancient Paths

Recently I run up against a wall.  Full force, head on, wall.  My struggle is that I'm spending so much time and energy thinking, doing, and planning for things of little value and worth.  I cannot express the wasted time, energy, and brain power spent on my iphone or computer games or xbox or watching football or some other way we all entertain ourselves.  It adds no value, none at all.  Instead, it often faintly perverts.  Hidden, as if a slow drug working its way through veins for months before it reaches the heart.  I'm convinced that these technologies that we take for granted now have influenced us much more than we know.

My heart yearns for older times, for peace and for rest.  Not older as in my younger days, or back when gas was less than $1 a gallon.  I mean ancient times.  Really old.  (yes, this may be one of the subtle reasons I have grown out a beard...)

In Jeremiah 6:16 the Lord says "Stop at the crossroads and look.  Ask for the ancient paths where the good way is (some versions say 'the godly way'), and walk in it.  And you will find rest for your souls."

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Those ancients in scriptures, the ones like Elisha or Elijah or Enoch or Abraham or Noah, they walked a path unknown to us.  Not because we haven't read their story or know what they did, but because we don't walk the same path.  We are busy!  We are successful!  We have great homes and great stuff!

But do we have rest for our souls?

So how do we get on a different path? 
Step 1: Stop.  Stop....seriously, stop.  Wait.  Rest.  Stop.
Now look.  Take it in.  Look at the paths before you.  Ask for the Ancient one.  Not the shiny, new, flashy, exciting, thrilling, entertaining one (what does this say about how we choose our churches).  Ask for the Ancient paths.
Walk it.

And may we all find rest for our souls.