Phew! It has been a week! Well, really…it has been a month! I suppose I could even go beyond that, but suffice it to say there has been a lot going on. It all came to a head this week when, frankly, my body stepped in and said, “NOPE! We’re not doing this anymore!” My family and I all came down with this nasty bug that stopped us all dead in our tracks. There was really nothing we could do but stop and rest—which in itself is no easy task, especially for a 3 yr old!
Our bodies definitely have a way of stepping in to let us know when we can’t continue on at the pace we have been running. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that isn’t always so kind as to let us take the time we need to recover…to rest…to be.
Perhaps that is why this is such a consistent message in our scriptures. The whole thing starts with a creation that insists even God takes time for rest. Perhaps an important reminder to those of us who think that the world can’t go on without us! The ten commandments are mostly short and to the point, but the two commandments in Exodus 20 that require extensive explanation are the one about idols and the one about taking Sabbath rest—an indicator of how hard it is for us to listen to these commandments. How many of Christ’s stories involve doing something on the Sabbath over which the Pharisees pitch a hissy fit? And then of course, there is the passage this week that describes what seems to be an overwhelming and long day of healings for Jesus, after which he sneaks away for quiet and rest. Of course, that is until the disciples hunt him down.
I think there are some things we can learn from this. First—take some time to rest. Just do it. Don’t fill that time with other stuff. If you have to, put it in your calendar. Make a family plan to do nothing together after church and Sunday school on Sunday. Do less. And don’t feel guilty about it. In fact, if you are doing too much, perhaps the message to you should be–Get over yourself! God stopped and rested. Christ stopped and rested. So should you!
Second, let others take time as well. I was very fortunate this week that when I needed some time to heal, several of you, who did need my help, were gracious enough to let me take some time for rest. THANK YOU!
If you really want to be counter-cultural. Rest more. It isn’t about being lazy. IT IS about being faithful!
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