I LOVE the idea that God gave a Sabbath rest to His people.
He took a rest (not that He was tired, but that He was finished) and He gave that same pleasure to His children. He knew what we were made of, He knew what our human frailties were, He knew what our physical, emotional and mental limits were — all from the beginning of Creation. So He gave us the Sabbath as a love gift.
In our culture today, at least in the US, there is little room for rest.
- our work places require extended overtime regularly and we work week-ends to get it done
- the internet now opens up opportunities to be busier long into the night and all week-end long
- our Sundays are not filled with time in worship and rest in the Lord, but with meetings and activities – sometimes driving various children back and forth several times in the day
- our children have sporting events every day, especially Saturdays and Sundays
- the competitive nature of our lives and the speed with which things are going demand us to push the envelope of our time
So where does our rest come in?
It often doesn’t. Even homeschool Moms can get to the place of exhaustion since we are Moms 24/7 with homeschooling and ministry on top of that. And if we school year round, we need to fit breaks into our schedule – we need to make room for the rest. Well, we can’t rest from being a Mom, but we CAN take active breaks from the busyness of life around us.
This past week was a time of rest for me, a Sabbath break. I had been feeling pushed and pulled from many sides with exhaustion looming large in front of me. I was just needing to take some time to: sleep, read, relax and sleep. Yes, I know I repeated sleep… it’s my favorite! 😀
I took the week off from school (it’s in our schedule anyway) and I stepped out of some responsibilities that were not urgent (some I had to drop because of other family things that came up). I took a break from most of my ministry. I still blogged, but that’s because my blogging was all done on Sunday night and scheduled ahead of time.
I spent more time quietly before the Lord, but mostly I needed the physical rest and refreshment so that I could really concentrate on the Word.
Today is my day for extended time with God.
Today is my day for a long time in the scriptures, for extended prayer time.
Today is my day for letting the Spirit wash over me and fill me with His deep Sabbath rest of renewal and revival.
Are YOU finding exhaustion creeping into your life and beginning to control you? Do YOU need to take a day as a time to rest? How can YOU take a break from some of your responsibilities so that you can be fully refreshed in the Lord?
Ah, the elusive “rest.” I can use all kinds of excuses – it’s relaxing for me to pull weeds (ha!) or even go to my “job” (funny, this is a great break from what I deem to be my reality). But in the end, we still need the rest and rejuvenation that only comes from the Lord.
Gotta run – my “to do” list is screaming at me. LOL
Barb, you are right. Our emotional rest (and even physical rest) can come in many different ways but our real deep inner rest only comes from Him! Miss you, sweetie!
I needed this – company coming and going, grandchildren in and out of the house overnight, grown children needing to talk about newly discovered health problems in their dad, etc., etc. Yes, I need a little Sabbath rest!
Esther Joy, I pray the Lord will bring you that deep and abiding rest so you can continue in your life of ministry and service to others. Thanks so much for coming by.
Rest? I’ll have to look that up in the dictionary! 😉 Nah. I do try to rest every single day because I simply have to. Since becoming a “single mom” in February I simply don’t have a “break” from everything or even just a few things, but next week my kids are off for fun times and this mama will be home alone. I already stocked up on movies and books from the library! I know I’ll still do some cleaning and work on my whole household declutter though.
Jessy, I prayed that your week had some WONDERFUL times of rest and refreshment in the Lord!! I’d love to hear how you were able to recharge!
Oh, yes! Whenever I don’t get what I need, I’m (almost always) the one to blame. I had been getting up super early to spend time with the Lord and write (5:30 am) but I was so tired later in the day, I was getting migraines. I have adjusted to 6 or 6:30am and I feel so much better. I guess I really need a solid 8 hours of sleep these days.
Sarah, I have come to the conclusion that those super early mornings are not for everyone! When we get the sleep that our bodies need, we are much more able to cope with our days and to make that time (no matter when) to be with the Lord and let Him feed and replenish our spirits!
I never take my Sunday afternoon nap for granted. For seven years my husband and I traveled with groups from the college where he taught. We spent the afternoons talking with pastors. Oh how we’d struggle to stay awake. So now we rest and I’m thankful! A Sabbath week sounds good, too.
Pamela, oh yes…Sunday afternoon is a great nap time! Thanks so much for stopping by.
I have found you from Monday Musings/What Joy is Mine. This is such a good reminder as our weeks get busy. I especially think that our children need a day of rest as well. Read my post:
http://www.thelostapron.com/2012/10/keeping-the-lords-day-holy.html
I loved your post! And it is such a good reminder of how we need to teach our children. Thanks so much for coming by and for sharing your blog post with me.
What a succinct explanation of why God rested on the Sabbath: “He took a rest (not that He was tired, but that He was finished).” I’m going to use that to help explain it to my children. Thanks, Kate!
I make everyone have a rest time on Sunday afternoon (my children are hit and miss on needing naps daily), and Sunday dinner is usually pancakes and scrambled eggs on paper plates, or leftovers (i.e. minimal meal prep). Those are 2 ways that help me have a Sabbath rest these days.
Laura, GOOD FOR YOU!! Making Sunday an easy food day is a great way to ease the burden of work for Momma! I always love your comments, dear friend!
Kate, what a great reminder of our need to rest and refresh, both physically and spiritually. Thanks for the post!
Thanks, Nancy! I appreciate your comment and your visit.
Thanks for commenting on my comment! LOL Here’s what I did during my “downtime” week: http://oursideofthemtn.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-peak-at-my-week-home-alone.html