Why Rest?

 

Why Rest?

Over committed, under energized, and internally exhausted!?  As many of you read this your thinking, “Yea, that’s me, but hey, I’m ok!” My prayer in sharing this devotion is that you realize that you are not ok.  No one is when we hit this place.  And for the believer, we know, our Father demands rest, not as a burden, but as a necessity to a full life in Christ. 

Woe to us America, a nation know for days full of go, go, do, do, and everyone be “busy busy” because that’s the norm now.  Daily, we are going to work, working too much at work, thinking about work while not at work, working while not working, taking children here and there, meetings all day just to have another meeting(ya’ll all know what this means!!), planning meals, cooking meals, or not cooking meals and choosing to just going to eat out, so on and so on. 

Then there is the new and improved “social network”, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIN, many others, and I’m sure we will see “the Latest” come out tomorrow.  Oh yea, let’s not forget “There’s an app for that…”, or if you cant find the information just “Google” it!  Life and busyness not only surrounding us, but if we want to, only a click of a button away!

Unfortunately, our world is now functioning off of these things, verses using them as assets or plusses when needed.  Busyness in the year 2012 comes with a whole new meaning.  So much so, that you can be so consumed in it, that you are deceiving yourself that your not busy.  That’s just plain vanity! And all this said with understanding, these things in themselves are not “bad” and if anything “good”, but too much of a good thing is not so good!

We can all confess that we are caught up in this a lot, whether by choice, survival, or just mere addiction.  And if we are really honest with ourselves we have become so addicted and deceived that we 

1. Cannot say “no”, and are absorbed and taken away from real relationships around us...

2. We like it so much that we use it as an excuse to avoid priorities in our life, like taking care of our own bodies, and others whom we love, or...

3. Without busyness we lose our sense of identity and purpose, and are scared to death of “not” having something to do.  We let busyness become what make us or breaks us, and use it to keep our status, or to avoid our true status, overcommitted, under energized, and internally exhausted!

Many times throughout the day, I find myself interacting with the community.  I love to engage with others and find out how they are doing.  “How are you!?” I will ask, “Busy!” I get as a reply, accompanied with a sigh, which I can’t tell means something like, “I’m so glad I’m busy”, or “I’m so tired of being busy!”.  It’s almost an ire paradox!  One that I myself have said to others on certain days. 

There is a battle that goes on within all of us as we think, “Well, being busy is good isn’t it? But why am I so tired of it? And why do I keep pursuing it!?”  A battle that we have MUST bring balance to!

Now, all of us can agree, there are seasons of life where being busy is necessary, because the duties and necessities of life all come at the same time.  Sometimes it is work requirements, other times family situations that require more of your time, and the all famous situation, both issues at the same time!  So, truth be told, we all experience life busyness, and it is just how the cookie crumbles.

So, hear me as I address the seasons in between, and honestly, the times where we are all shooting our own selves in the foot with toiling, vanity, mindless activities, and senseless work that really, in the end, has no benefit, and if anything is killing relationships and Jesus’ gracious offer of life to the full. 

Believer, is this really how God created us? Despite the fact he had to save us from our sinfulness and is continuing to reconcile sinners to himself, is this really the life He desired for us to experience?  So much busyness that we don’t know if we are coming or going, what we have or haven’t done, and so lost in our own selves that we have no sense of what’s going on? 

Did our God, maker of the heavens and the earth, maker of all things in 6 days, and resting on the 7^th, create us to be consumed in mindless activities?  Or as he did on the 7^th day, rest in all his work, desire for us to do the same, and take time to rest, reflect and be renewed?  Now, be reminded that our God, didn’t take the 7^th day to rest because he was tired from the other 6!  Oh no, He was simply satisfied in his work, so much so, that he rested to enjoy it, reflect on it, and declare it “holy”. 

What can we learn from this? 

-That, there are days to work and days to rest. 

-Times to take care of business, and times to reflect on your work, be renewed by time away from it, and enjoy the relationships that surround you! 

-To take time to worship the Father by rejoicing in His ways, His mercies over your ways, and His love he has poured over you. 

-To rest in the knowing that despite all your vanity and toiling, you can rest in the assurance of your salvation, and the joy of life in Jesus. 

-That despite even your mindless pursuits and restless ways you can rejoice that our Father weaves everything together for His Glory. 

-That in the rest of down time we can fill ourselves with the alive and renewing Word of God, and there we find true life, and a real, tangible way to deal with the issues of this fading world.

Each of us needs rest.  We all need time to unwind our senses, our bodies, our spirits, and to reflect on the happenings (past and present) verses what “has” to happen (future). Our future is ordered by the Lord, this we can trust in faith, by “believing of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Oh, how your life will take such a new meaning when you rest, reflect, and recover in the shadow of the Almighty!  A refuge of mercy, grace, and love.  No place of toil and vanity. All that is necessary is that we take time to do this, or “not to do”, however you see it! 

I pray today that you take time to rest.  If you need help, ask the Holy Spirit to help you rest.  He wants to.  Come to him all who are weary and burdened and He will give you rest, take his yoke upon you, and learn from Him, for He is gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For his yoke is easy, and his burden is light!

May you experience rest today, the way our Father designed it for you, away from the toil of this present world, and into the promise of eternal life in the next!