A Time to Rest

Greetings Dear Readers,

With the school term at full throttle and activities picking up at church time has become all but consumed in my week. I had a professor and mentor who used to always say “beware the barrenness of a busy life.” I felt that barrenness this past week as I rushed through so many activities.

I would draw a distinction here between that which is restful and that which is recreational. Rest is just that. It is using little energy. Recreation is doing things that literally re-create who we are. Recreational activities are not always restful. While I am increasing the things I do to recreate myself, I find that in this case my need was for genuine rest.

This being the case I chose to take this past Saturday as a true day of rest. I sat in a comfy chair and read a good book. I wrote for a while and ate already prepared or easy to prepare food. I cleaned some things in passing but the bulk of the day was relaxing and restful. The reading did re-create some things in my mind and the movie I watched inspired an idea for a short blog series I will write later in the year.

Time to simply rest will rarely present itself. It is up to us to create that time so that we able to recharge and reengage with the reasons why we do what we do. The ancient Hebrew people were told to take a day each week for rest. I am sure that God knew what he was doing.

Some people go too far and insist that no one should work on Sunday. Those same people go out for lunch after church each week or allow someone in the house to cook a large meal. We cannot put into law a demand to rest at a certain time in a world that is to be guided by grace. We do, however, need to make time to rest.

I challenge you to build planned rest into your week. It does not need to be regimented or cause you to neglect other duties. You may find that it reenergizes you for the tasks that you once loved but now seem a chore. It may make the chores seem less wearisome. I know it did for me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn