Sabbath Rest Brings Peace

By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day herested from his work, all the creating God had done. 

Genesis 2: 2-4 The Message

This week I had a minor surgical procedure. . . nothing to worry about but it afforded me a rare opportunity to kick back and stay put!  Also my car is in the shop getting a few repairs done so I am basically "stuck" at home with no plans to go anywhere.  Like many of you, I have a very hard time slowing down.  I am driven to be moving all the time, from one place to the next, meeting other's expectations (or more precisely meeting what I think are their expectations for me).  The past couple of days have been such a respite for me, not only healing for the body but healing for the soul.  Often times it takes getting sick for me to slow down. . . and that is not a good thing!  It doesn't do me any good, my family any good or the people I serve any good!

So in the past couple of days I had time to figure out a drawing program on my computer that I've had for a couple of years and never had time to master (the picture in this post is something I made from this program- simple I know, but fun!) . . . I have read some pages in a couple of books I haven't had time to get to . . . I took a nap each day (thanks to some pain meds), I visited with a friend in my living room over coffee (she had tea) and I felt the creative juices that sometimes get stifled due to busyness emerge once again inside my soul.

Next week will begin an all out push toward what will not end until May turns into June as track season begins.  Along with that is the High School Musical that both of my kids are in which means late night practices.  Also there will be a trip to Ohio U for the Regional Spelling Bee thrown in there.  All good and wonderful things!  But the rushing and running will be a bit overwhelming to be sure.  So, for now, I take the remaining few moments that I have of solitude and silence to draw enough energy to get me through Lent, Track and Field Season, Holy Week, Easter, and whatever else decides to beckon my attention.  For now, I am resting in the peace and tranquility of God's love. . . his call to a time of sabbath rest.  And my heart is joyful, my anxiety is very low, I feel at ease with myself and the world.

Do you think this is why God calls us to take at least one day of rest each week?  Do you suppose this is why vacation and time away is so very important?  How are you doing at resting?  How are you doing at carving out some time for yourself, to simply "be?"  How is your level of creativity?

May you find peace and respite in the busyness of life's journey.
Yours,
Amy

Be Still and Know that I am God

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am. . .
Be still and know. . .
Be still. . .
Be. . .

When was the last time you truly took a Sabbath day?  A day of true rest?  Not just laying around on the couch watching football (though that might be refreshing for some) but a day when you intentionally thought about God, offered a prayer each time you thought of Jesus and what he has done for you, sat in silence waiting to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit?

Labor Day is a good day to shabbat- to rest in the Lord.  Should be called "rest" day though.  Instead of filling every waking moment with something to do. . . take some time today to relax, have a little fun with your friends or family. . . and remember the One who rested on the seventh day!  To encourage you I have added a picture of Martin Luther who is soooo good at just "being," much better at it than I am!

Remember the Sabbath . . .

We are so busy in this life that sometimes I ask myself, "Why do I do this to myself?"  You do it to yourself too, don't you?  Cram your day with activities, volunteer for one too many things, run your kids here and there so they can be just as busy as you are, grab your lunch on the go and fall into bed at night exhausted from it all.  Seems like a sickness to me!  Especially in conversations where we have to "out-busy" each other:  "I was so busy this week!  I had to do this and that and the other thing. . . " to which your friend replies, "I know it!  I was so busy I didn't have time to do the things I needed to do and now I have to go and do those when all I really want to do is sit down and read a book!"  


And on it goes.  Is there a contest for being busy?  Does the busiest person win the prize?  If so, what is the prize? Fatigue, frazzled nerves, forgetting to pray and feeling alone neglected by God, sore feet, sore eyes, sore bones?  Hmmmm, some prize there!


When will we stop and rest?  Even God rested:  "Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don't do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. ThereforeGod blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day." (Exodus 20 from The Message)

Do everything you NEED to do.  We often talk about wants and needs in regard to our stewardship of money, but what about the stewardship of time?  Are we giving God any time?  Do we give the One who loves us most any quality time or just a passing thought here and there?  There are some things you don't NEED to do right now, they can wait you know! Do we really have to fill up every moment of every day doing something whether it matters or not? If not, then why do we??


Even God rested.  Are we better than God- super stamina human beings that can go and go and go without stopping?  Maybe we are adrenaline junkies and the thrill of being on the move all the time is what gets us through the day, that if stopped to rest and listen to God we might actually  hear something we aren't ready to hear?  However, I think we need to hear it.  Whatever it is God wants to say to us, or simply to BE with us-- we need it.  


There's something that happens to us when we rest-- it's the opposite of the adrenalin-high we get from racing and rushing around.  It is peace.  It is calm.  It is a sense of wellbeing.  It is a surge of God-given-serotonin or oxytocin-- neurotransmitters that flood our brains and make us feel at ease.  God created those you know and scientific studies show that our brains "on prayer" are much more at ease!  God is amazing like that! We don't need a scientific study to tell us that, do we?  We know from experience that God gives the only peace that passes understanding.  But it sure is hard to sit with God and bask in that peace if we are running around like a bunch of hamsters on a treadmill.  


So then, take a day off, or two!  And don't feel guilty either!! 
Don't say to me, "Well I work on Sundays so I don't get a sabbath!"  Phooey!  Take another day off then, just to BE with God.  Take a walk and intentionally BE with God.  Rest in the Lord.  He will rejuvenate your troubled spirit.  He will draw you closer to his heart where you know for sure that you are loved and cherished.  Be good to yourself because rest is holy and spending quality time with God is holy- he asked us to set it aside, no- strike that- he commanded it-- think he had a reason for doing that?  


Image credit:  http://wallpaper-s.org/15__Rest_Stop,_Brown_Bear.htm