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Rest

We’ve been blogging about a few spiritual practices that encourage us. Prayer, scripture reading, and fellowship have been discussed in previous weeks. Let’s talk about rest.

First, for some who’ve known me for a while, it might seem like a great irony that I’m the one writing about rest. I wasn’t very good at it years ago and was driven by a number of things to work hard and rest not nearly enough. Even my days off were not really off, because my mind was consumed with the church and whatever the latest things were going on there. I recently heard a sentiment from another pastor to the effect of how guilty he feels if he takes a break. There is that nagging sense of unlimited obligation, spurred on by the occasional thoughtless comment (you only work one day a week, right?) and fueled by our own inner insecurities. Truthfully, I’m not completely cured! But I’m healthier than I was. While my vocation is different than yours, consider how that inner drive is driving you to utter exhaustion. Some rest will not only be good for you, but might give you time to consider how to make some changes in your patterns of life for your health.

Fortunately, the changes in my life haven’t come through some horrible crisis. I didn’t lose my marriage or ministry because of it. I have been through some very rough patches, and one of the lessons learned has been the value of rest. Rest is not necessarily sleep, but refraining from work and delighting in God’s good gifts to us in friends, family, and recreation.

We were not designed to work all the time. Woven into the fabric of creation is one day of rest in seven. For many decades in our nation’s history, Sunday was a day of rest from labor as well as a day to come to God’s house for worship and soul care. Whether we recognize it or not, we really need a day of rest during the week. We need to find a day away from the labor that consumes us the other days.

The process of discovering ways to do this may be a team project. A young mother has a 24/7 need machine called a baby. Dad may need to work extra around home sometime so mom can go get her nails done and catch a movie with friends. Dad may find rest tricky as his “day off” becomes utterly consumed with house repairs or driving kids to sports. When are WE going to find a time during the week where we are relatively peaceful for a day. It might be like the old Jewish practice - sundown to sundown one day - because a whole calendar day off is nearly impossible.

And rest looks different for each of us. For the guy who spends 40+ hours in front of a computer screen, pulling weeds on Saturday might be “restful.” Some people find their garden is their quiet spot - their hobby.  I definitely screen my phone calls on my day off, and I’ve found getting away to a hobby or going for a hike is a great thing for my mind and body.

The point of all this isn’t just to keep you sane, though rest helps with all of that. God can help us to enjoy the life he has given us. Resting can make the journey more blessed. If it takes five years to accomplish an important career goal instead of two, so what? If your family life, spiritual life, and enjoyment of life all go up because of it, you will be happier in the end!

In Him,

Don

Don Ward

Senior Pastor

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