In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He rested on the 7th day. The fourth commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy, and to rest.
But how often do you actually rest? I know I don’t rest nearly enough. With three kids, my family’s life moves at the speed of light. School, karate, scouts, music lessons, church…all good things, but these activities sure suck the time out of a week.
I believe that sometimes God forces us to slow down, when we don’t slow down enough on our own. Such was the case of my weekend. Friday morning I woke up not feeling well. Boo hadn’t slept well the night before, and therefore neither did I. And I don’t tend to do well on little sleep.
By the time I came home from school on Friday, I was miserable. Fortunately it was a quiet evening. Sportsguy had a basketball game to announce, and Bug and Stargirl were spending the night with friends. So I rested. Boo and I had a quiet dinner, and when Boo went to bed, so did I.
The next day was much the same. Sportsguy had an out of town game, so he was gone all day. Bug and Stargirl were with their friends at Snow Capades. So Boo and I relaxed. I did a little baking, which is a luxury around here. We both took nice, long naps. It was blissful!
Saturday afternoon on Facebook, I saw an article from Lee Binz, the Homescholar. It was exactly what I needed to read.
The Lord is clearly tell us to take some time off and DO NO REGULAR WORK at least once each week.*
Why is it that we try to push ourselves so hard? Why is it that we never take time to rest? After resting all weekend, I feel ready to face a new week, unlike most weeks, when I’m dreading Monday.
From here on out, Sundays will be a true day of rest for me. No blogging, no cleaning, no regular work. Just time with the Lord, time with my church, and time with my family. I’ve come to realize that rest is essential.