Simplicity in Rest

"Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is, rest." Skip Gray --Navigators

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:2-3

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. " Exodus 20:8

"Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:15-16

Rest. There is a commandment to follow about rest. Remember to leave space for holiness --that means stop what you are doing and rest. Rest in the Lord by meditating on His Word, worshipping coporately, with another believer, or just by yourself in a quiet place. Jesus had to take a break from the healing and the crowds. He had to "fill up his love tank" by spending time with the Father. Jesus' humanity, remember, required that he do human things like eating and sleeping. He needed rest. His rest was more perfect, I believe. He rested completely in the Father. He received his mission and purpose directly from the Father. After time with the Father, Jesus had the energy to teach and heal. His power came directly from the Father.

There is a simplicity in rest. Swenson says: "A biblically authentic and balanced life will include time to be still, to remember, to meditate, to delight in who He is and what He has made. But a large obstacle stands in our way: There is no glory in rest. No social acclaim. We are never a hero because we rest. We can only be still and better wait upon the Lord. We can only meditate upon the Word more. We can only have more margin with which to serve our neighbor. These things, however, are not socially reimbursable."

The only requirement to rest is that you do it. It will help to find a quiet place away from the phone, the computer, the family, the pets, the beeper, the cell phone, the tv, the radio and whatever else is occupying your attention.

Over the years, I have learned to limit my time in front of the tv, the computer and I really dislike talking on the phone for very long. I really like it when the house is quiet and I can just sit and relax with a book or my baby on my lap. I think my daughter is teaching me the value of just sitting and reading a book to her, playing on the floor with her and making that time really about her. There is a simplicity to just being in the moment with her.

Next week my husband and daughter and I are resting. We are borrowing a friend's cabin and sitting by a lake for a week. We try to take a break every quarter of the year to rest and recharge. We do this for our health, our marriage and our sanity.

In what areas of your schedule do you need to simplify to have time to rest? Do you need to cancel a non-essential activity and just rest? Are you leading a balanced life? Do you have margin in your life to rest, pray, meditate on the Word?

I'll be back to blog with you in about 12 days! Until then, keep on keeping on....