And on the seventh day, He rested. How many of you struggle with rest? I’m betting many of you are like me, and you find that resting doesn’t come easy. Don’t confuse sleep with rest; I get plenty of sleep, but the act of resting is difficult for me.
My DIL loves a massage. She will get the hour-long massage and says she falls asleep half the time. For me, a massage is almost like torture. I can’t relax during a massage, and I spend my time thinking about what I need to do or wondering how much longer until it is over. My DIL finds the massage relaxing and restful, but I find it stressful.
Taking time to sit down and rest feels wasteful, and unless I’m so spent that I can’t hold my head up, I will usually be doing something. Many people will share a good book they are reading and a picture of the book’s cover. Do you know what I think when I see those photos? “When do you have time to read a book?” I haven’t read a book since my sister’s last book was published.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 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 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
God created the world. He created the heavens and the earth, He created the animals and vegetation, and He created man all in six days. When he finished His work, He rested. Not only did God rest on the seventh day, but He blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
I know that the Bible is a guide for how we are supposed to live our lives. If God blessed the seventh day and rested on that day, that sounds like a blueprint for what we are supposed to do. However, I am guilty of doing the exact opposite. It isn’t that I couldn’t rest on Sunday; it’s that I don’t rest on Sundays. I write a blog post daily, but I could write two one day, so I didn’t have to write one on Sunday.
God was busy creating the world and mankind; I’m pretty sure His work was way more important than mine. I’m also sure His job was more complicated and required more thought and energy than mine, so if He could rest, then I can too.
Matthew 11:28
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. I’m sure all of you have heard this verse before, and many of us can relate to feeling weary and burdened. We all have stress, deadlines, housework, bills to pay, jobs, spouses, kids, grandkids, work, and a thousand other things that we juggle daily. The thing about juggling is that you are bound to drop something now and again. The longer you juggle, the more tired you will get. The more tired you get, the more mistakes you make.
The Lord encourages us to rest because He knows our bodies need downtime. Monday’s post is already written, and I’ve got all of my posts already scheduled. Today, I will be spending time with my family, who will be leaving later today, celebrating Emersyn’s birthday, and then sitting on the back porch and resting while I watch the bees and the birds play in the fountain.
To God Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!
I have a note on my fridge, which I read when I am needing to stop working for a minute.
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ” –Sir John Lubbock
Enjoy your new patio, watch the birds, be still and hear the voice of the Lord.
Thought provoking post! You are a very driven, hard working gurl!! I hope that you can find a day to rest as well. Even if you cut back on the days you post, I would still be a faithful reader and supporter. Life is short. Enjoy the bees this evening.
Have a blessed day. Your blog. touched my heart Today
I have a hard time resting too. This post is really encouraging! Thank you!
What a fabulous post! I am like you, in that it is usually so hard for me to do nothing, or rest. However, my husband is helping me with that. Since we are retirees, this is easier for us to do: between 2p & 3p every day that we are at home, we take our showers then we take a nap or just spend time together. He came up with this idea about one month ago, and it has already strengthened our bond. I don’t have the time to read every day, but what’s more important!