Rest

If I had to choose one word as a theme this week, it would be rest. First of all, I could really use a little, but couldn’t we all? Beyond that, I kept bumping into the word everywhere I turned. Early in the week, I listened to a podcast from Bonnie Gray, and she was talking about taking time to rest and reset. Then, I received a card in the mail with the same scripture:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

This morning my Bible reading was from Joshua 11 and the last verse jumped out at me:

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

(Joshua 11:23)

The last line resonated with me: “And the land rested from war.”

I don’t know about you, but I think we all could use a little rest from war. 2020 has turned out to be a marathon for battling on multiple fronts. Every time we turn around some new “threat” has materialized out of the mist, another giant to slay. Yet, Jesus called everyone who was “heavy laden” to come to him, and He would give them rest. How does that work?

First, you have to actually come to Jesus. In other words, you have to stop and spend time with the Lord. I think the phrase quiet time is even more important these days. We need to take time to be still and quiet; we need to block out the world and allow the peace that passes understanding to settle on us (Philippians 4:7).

Another thing we can do is to actually do less. Sometimes we overbook our schedules by trying to do everything. In the podcast I mentioned earlier, Bonnie Gray discussed letting go of being busy. In a society that values productivity, we can be tricked into thinking that a busy schedule means we are being productive. In fact, the opposite may be true. We may be busy but not really accomplishing anything of importance.

Finally, we need to take time to do things that we enjoy. Strike that. We need to schedule time to do things that we enjoy. Coffee (or tea) breaks were created for a reason. We need breaks from the daily grind for physical and mental health, not to mention our spiritual health. Do something fun. Do something silly. Do nothing.

I know when I start the day with a quiet time, and then end the day with a little quiet time I feel more rested and ready to do battle even in 2020, especially in 2020. I also know that taking time to knit or read a good book also lifts my mood and my energy. So, sit a spell, sip some tea, pet a cat (or dog), and enjoy the moment. Besides, your cell phone could probably use some alone time, too.