You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C. S. Lewis
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Fast and Furious
Have you ever looked at your calendar and wondered how you would get it all done? This week I was looking at an upcoming seasonal job and all of my other obligations, and I decided to take a night off before it even began. I had to stop several times and silence the inner voice that kept saying I should get busy or I wasn’t following the plan I had laid out. The truth was I had been going fast and furious for a couple of weeks with some projects not included in the plan, and I had more coming. I needed a break to recoup, but I felt guilty. Ever feel that way?
Rest and Relax
19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:19
We live in a world that is not as different from Nehemiah’s time as we would like to believe. People were more interested in making money than in following the laws God had set out for them, laws for their good. God had designated a rest day, but they were ignoring it. So, Nehemiah ordered the gates shut and locked during the Sabbath to force them to comply.
The world will tell you that you must go, go, go. You need to hustle and make it happen, but God says to rest and let him handle the battle. It doesn’t mean that you lay around eating grapes while someone fans you with a palm leaf. It means that you do what you have been given to do, and then you let God work out the results. Adding more to your to do list won’t make you holier, and taking a rest when you need it won’t make you more of a sinner. It’s about balance.
Tea Time
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10
In the last two weeks I had added a couple of projects to my list to help my friends, and this week I had to train for the seasonal job. I needed the mid-week Sabbath that God had arranged by cancelling a couple of my regularly scheduled tasks. I sat down with a cup of tea, my knitting, a book, and the cats. Those few hours of doing things that relaxed and renewed my spirit while resting my body prepared me for the next round of tasks that were coming my way.
The word in the scriptures that is translated be still doesn’t just mean to stop moving; it also has the connotation of letting go. So, in order to rest in God we have to stop striving and release our spirits and whatever we are struggling with into God’s hands. When we take our burdens to him, He will give us true rest. Then, we can move forward for him rested and at our best.
Rest and Repeat
Are you feeling weary? Maybe you need a rest break. What are some ways you relax and restore your body and soul? Feel free to comment below.
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