Resting, Resting

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Rest. The number one thing that most people don't get enough of, is rest. We live in a go-go-go world with a go-go-go mentality. We read stories of people who are always busy, always doing something, and we think that we need to be like them. Even I see that as a housewife. Sometimes, I read books or articles that kind of make me feel like I need to be doing something at all times. That after the house is clean, laundry is done and the lawn is mowed, that it's not okay for me to take a breather and relax for a little while.

Sometimes that very thought can come from scripture- the Proverbs 31 woman whom I so admire appears on paper to be busy at all times, not wasting a precious moment of the day. Rest is so important though on so many levels. It's important physically, without rest we can wear ourselves out to the point of exhaustion- where sickness and disease can come upon us easier. Without rest, we can mentally become exhausted, bringing us to the place where stress and anxiety can wreak havoc. Without rest spiritually, we can experience the burnout which we hear happening so often to servants of God. Everyone needs rest.

In fact, rest is so important, that God, Himself set the example for us.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:2,3

God rested after creating the heavens and the earth. Even more than that, look at what God did when He rested- He blessed the whole day because it was a day for Him to rest. He also made it a holy day! Why didn't God make day 5 holy, when He created the flying creatures of the sky? In fact, God didn't make any other day holy, they were simply work days- days to get something done. But the day that God rested, that was the holy day.

I've been a mom for nearly ten years now, and I've gone through both mindsets several times over. On the one hand, there would be the part of me that was so exhausted all the time that even getting one task done was an achievement. Then I would go through the phase where I always needed to be doing housework, getting something clean, or baking, or cooking, or working on a project of some kind. Those days were just as exhausting, because Andy would come home from work, and I would not be such good company for him. As it turns out, there is a balance to be had. I don't have to be working my hands all day long around the clock. It is still important to me to maintain a somewhat clean house, but I also recognize that wearing myself out for the sake of cleanliness is not good either. I don't feel bad anymore when I sit down and read for an hour or so, or just take a little while to watch something on TV. I actually find that those moments of rest can rejuvenate me and give me the energy I need to get another task done.

Rest. God is so good to give us the example of rest. Because we have the ultimate example, we don't need to feel guilty or bad in the least for taking the opportunity to rest when we can. For our family, we are about to embark on our only real rest period of the entire year, a week in the woods- just us, God, a lake, and a campfire, and we'll be content and happy and when the end of the week arrives, we will feel rejuvenated and ready to go for another 51 weeks.

So I won't be posting next week. Be blessed, know that God loves you, and see where you can get your own moments of rest. Rest in Him, rest secure in the knowledge that God loves you and sent His son to free you from an eternity of torment.

"...And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:18