Rest
I love rest. That may seem like an obvious statement, but I really do. I am the kind of person that will work until I just collapse, so when I have time to rest, it's a wonderful, glorious, beautiful thing.
Labor day is that for me. It's a day before a bunch of stuff gets going in our life, and a good day to really just rest.
Now, I am not talking about abiding in Christ. That's a topic for a different blog. It's a topic that I'm super passionate about, and always need help being re-directed toward. For this devo, it's really just about taking a breather, and chilling.
On the 7th day, God rested. Jesus was sleeping during a storm. There's some good examples of rest. Like, good examples. Rest is good not just for the body, but good for the soul and mind as well. It's super important to just unplug.
I want to share something that I heard Rick Warren say about rest and how he does it. He says two things.
1) If your job is to study, read, and write, then your time of rest should be something active that engages other senses. In other words, if you are a teacher, resting while reading a book may not be as effective for your overall health as going on a walk, or doing some gardening. Likewise, if you are in construction, rest may actually need to look like reading a book or just sitting and having a conversation with someone.
2) God designed us to have a day of rest each week, so obviously we should keep that. But how does that play itself out over the rest of the year. Warren does it this way, and I encourage you to try this, too. One day a week. One weekend a month. One month a year. That is the radical minimum standard in my opinion.
Warning: This is not law. I'm not saying that you must do it like this, but it's a couple of good rules to make a guideline for rest.
Pray This:
Lord, help me rest. I confess that I am too busy and need to spend some time resting. Please give me the strength to submit to your will for my life. Help me understand, deep within my soul, that when I function out of rest, I will be at my best. No amount of work can make you more satisfied with me. Thank you for loving me and allowing me to rest. Thank you for time to do that. I love you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Labor day is that for me. It's a day before a bunch of stuff gets going in our life, and a good day to really just rest.
Now, I am not talking about abiding in Christ. That's a topic for a different blog. It's a topic that I'm super passionate about, and always need help being re-directed toward. For this devo, it's really just about taking a breather, and chilling.
On the 7th day, God rested. Jesus was sleeping during a storm. There's some good examples of rest. Like, good examples. Rest is good not just for the body, but good for the soul and mind as well. It's super important to just unplug.
I want to share something that I heard Rick Warren say about rest and how he does it. He says two things.
1) If your job is to study, read, and write, then your time of rest should be something active that engages other senses. In other words, if you are a teacher, resting while reading a book may not be as effective for your overall health as going on a walk, or doing some gardening. Likewise, if you are in construction, rest may actually need to look like reading a book or just sitting and having a conversation with someone.
2) God designed us to have a day of rest each week, so obviously we should keep that. But how does that play itself out over the rest of the year. Warren does it this way, and I encourage you to try this, too. One day a week. One weekend a month. One month a year. That is the radical minimum standard in my opinion.
Warning: This is not law. I'm not saying that you must do it like this, but it's a couple of good rules to make a guideline for rest.
Pray This:
Lord, help me rest. I confess that I am too busy and need to spend some time resting. Please give me the strength to submit to your will for my life. Help me understand, deep within my soul, that when I function out of rest, I will be at my best. No amount of work can make you more satisfied with me. Thank you for loving me and allowing me to rest. Thank you for time to do that. I love you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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