TIME TO REST

 TIME TO REST

We all have pet hates. I have two that I can think of right now.  

1. Running Late

2. Wasting time.

I want to talk about the second one.

'Days off' have proven to be a challenge to me as I try and find ways to make it count. I don't want to WASTE time! I think that I may not be at work, but this day is an opportunity to pursue some other goal, and I want to be satisfied.  

If I examine this mentality, it has a couple of nasty roots hidden away under the noble thought of productivity.   One is arrogance. You've heard the saying, "If it is to be, it's up to me".  

The second one is that I have to somehow justify my existence - my use of free air to breathe. How cruel! Do we ask our children to justify their existence in our world by doing and working?

Can't you smell the poison in those two thoughts?

I have been going through a few months of bad health and exhaustion and have found myself having to do nothing. Sometimes, I just need to go back to bed to sleep, and I find that both tedious and frustrating. 

 Exodus 20:8-10. 

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work,  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work... "

That came to me as a breath of fresh air, a gift. It's not just OK to do nothing. It's commanded! 

Rest is obedience.  

Now I can hear some of you... you really don't have the freedom I do to go back to bed during the day. You have children at home; you simply cannot stop in that way. I have good news for you.

The Pharisees had turned this sabbath command into a crazy law that had to be obeyed regardless, but Jesus, when confronted by them, said that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, and also that He, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27-28)

So for you who have others literally depending on you being on task, I want to say be kind to yourself. Find your rest in the places and moments that you can. Don't fill the margins with more work; just stop and rest. Put your feet up, read that book, watch that show, pursue that hobby or just stop and meditate on His goodness.

It really is OK to do nothing for a while. Obeying this command to rest is an act of trust. When we stop and rest, we tell God that we trust Him to keep things together. We let others know we trust them and allow them to step up and find their strength.

In sharing these thoughts, I don't want to add weight to you to whom the idea of a 'day off' seems like an impossible dream. But I do want to say that in this command, The Lord Himself legitimises regular times in our lives of doing nothing. Whatever that looks like in the season you are in, my prayer is that He will show you how to do that, and my encouragement to you is to refuse drivenness to be part of your life and personality. Believe me, it will lead to exhaustion, and that's no good for anyone.

Until next time, take time to be kind ... to yourself xx.