And that has had me thinking a lot about REST.
rest.
How many of us are there?? While my body is screaming for rest, my mind is reeling with the things that need to be done today, this week, this month. Isn't that always the case? How often do we truly stop? Rest? Just be?
Rest:
It’s a word that means: the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep; refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor; relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies,troubles, or disturbs; a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquillity; mental or spiritual calm; tranquillity.
Refreshing quiet.
Sleep.
Refreshing ease or inactivity.
Relief or freedom… from anything that wearies… troubles… or disturbs.
Solitude.
Tranquility.
Mental or spiritual calm.
I LOVE that rest can look many different ways. For me, last night, it was peddling away on the stationery bike while I read a book that refreshed my heart. Some days it's curling up on the couch with a good fiction book, other days it's a long walk along the Greenway, sometimes it's a movie, some days its baking ... some days it's just riding in silence, sitting in silence, or sleeping.
But regardless, it's FREEDOM ... freedom from striving, freedom from doing, freedom to just be.
We don't live in a world that values rest. As a matter of fact, we often are made to feel lazy or unproductive for taking time for rest.
But the reality of it is, we won't be out best without rest. I know I'm not. I lose my perspective when I fail to rest. I get short with people. I function less efficiently. I overreact.
Some of the best advice I ever received was not to make a big decision when tired, hungry, or hormonal. So true. Being tired (physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally) skews our thinking. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is take a NAP!! Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is turn something down, even a "good" something!
Rest is not just a matter of physical health and emotional wellbeing, it is also an important component of our spiritual life.
"Rest" is mentioned tons all throughout the Bible. It starts in Genesis 2 with God resting from His work and extends through Revelation 14 where the dead will "rest" from their labor.
God set the precedent in creation.
He commanded it by establishing the Sabbath.
He promises us rest in his presence
The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Ex. 33:14)
One of my favorite places that deals with rest is Matthew 11:
In the Message it says:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
In the New Century Version:
"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light."
I read this blog today and was reminded of the importance of finding that Sabbath rhythm in our lives. It's easy for me, as a rules follower, to think there's ONE way to experience Sabbath and I can about make myself as crazy as the Pharisees by putting a fence around what it should look like, but instead, I am going to try to incorporate Sabbath BACK into my life. It might not be the same day and it might not look the same every week, but to BE who God has called us to be, we need to live how He told us to live and part of that is by establishing Sabbath rest into the routines of our life ... learning His rhythm and finding Him in the kairos times of our life.
What's rest gonna look like in my day? Hmmmm ... the possibilities make my heart happy. What about you??
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