Rest! In today’s society? That may seem like an oxymoron. The world seems to be moving faster and
faster. If we don’t ‘keep up’ we may fall
behind. Therefore, we try to keep moving
like the Energizer bunny or Dory in “Finding Nemo” who shared that famous quote,
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
Between family responsibilities, children’s responsibilities, work
responsibilities and church responsibilities, we can seem as if we are on a
treadmill and not be able to get off!
Then the body just gives out – either we just can’t move and have to
rest or we get sick and we are forced to rest.
Enter the guilt! Yes, the guilt
if you just need to rest. Thoughts can
rush in as to what we should have been doing while resting or realizing the
list you may have made for yourself is not getting accomplished. In enters the guilt.
My friend, our God gives us the
most wonderful example for rest when He rested on the seventh day of
creation. God spent six days creating
this world that we live in. His creation
is what we call our earthly home. Not
just the earth, but all in it. Yes,
every living creature, the sky, the earth, the sea – all of it. Talk about a level of responsibility! Then He rested on the Sabboth, the seventh
day. That is what Sunday is all about,
the day of rest. Yet, we tend to cram in
as much as we can in a week, even on a Sunday.
When I was young (just a few years ago), stores were not open on
Sundays. You couldn’t ‘head over to the
mall’ or just ‘skip into’ a store. It
was like Christmas Day today – nothing was open and you went about your day.
Imagine for a moment. Imagine if you were to truly rest on Sunday,
spending the day with family or friends.
Enjoying each other’s company and the wonder of the world around
us. Having an extra cup of coffee or
spending time playing a game with the children instead of getting them to
soccer practice or dance class. I have
good news everyone. Rest is not out of
our reach. We need to build it in!
It may mean we don’t
overcommit. It may mean we actually
schedule rest into our Sunday, almost as if it is something on our list to
do. It may mean giving yourself
permission to put your feet up and close your eyes. It may mean reflecting back to our Lord and settling
into His arms of rest, His arms of comfort and His arms of peace. He wants this for us, but we need to action
it! God knows, more than anyone, the importance
of stopping and resting. He is giving you permission to rest. Please don’t underestimate this incredible
gift.
As we enter the Lenten season,
with Ash Wednesday upon us, let us build rest into our Sundays. May we take time to reflect on our Lord and
all that He so graciously has given us, including His Son. It’s time – to take action to rest!
Dearest Father, we thank you
for showing us the importance of rest.
May we mirror your example and build rest into our Sunday. Help us to focus on you and your gifts. Help us to enjoy these gifts in a way that will
rejuvenate us to walk each day forward in You.
Amen!
