Devotional - the art of rest
In these times of uncertainty, you might act like me: I don't have time to rest. There is always something to do. I have to keep going.
And going.
And going.
Every day that I haven't worked or put the effort into establishing my business is a day lost. Or worse, every hour I haven't done anything, is an hour lost.
I - perhaps unconsciously - lived by it, till I woke up with a strong tightness on my chest.
Stress... How was that possible?
I was enjoying what I was doing. I felt pumped. Yet, my body warned me I was doing something wrong. In fact, it was God who called me to stop and pause. And like His timing is perfect, a friend of mine (Ruth, a member of this community as well) lent me a book:
The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry
I remember all the different emotions that went through me when I read it. I felt stupid, guilty, and most of all: disobedient.
Why?
Because God commanded us to rest. And I was acting like I knew better, like I didn't need the right rest, like I didn't trust the Lord to take care of me - or my business - when I was resting from my job.
Have you ever thought about it this way?
Jesus did rest. Jesus deliberately took time to talk to His Father, and to rest. Rest isn't just our Sunday or Saturday, it's an art. And I forgot how to do it or why I did it and that God commanded me to do it.
Let me close with this passage of Mabry's book:
But for followers of Jesus, rest isn't a sign of weakness. Rest is an act of profound resistance against the siren call of self-justification. It's not about admitting weakness. It's about having the strength to resist.
It might be hard to rest in times like this in which some are forced to sit at home and work or file for unemployment. But resting isn't a bad thing.
Rest will help you to remember things in life, things about yourself.
Rest will help you to spend time on developing yourself.
Rest will help you to be obedient to God and grow closer to Him---Just to name a few advantages. Rest can do so much more.
I wish you good periods of rest,
Jane