(i thought that first picture really illustrated rest. its from a time in Spain and the second is of recent times here!)
Friday's are my day off. Today is Friday! I look so forward to Friday's because i get to rest. I get to take my hands off my work, off the ministry and put it to the side.
I think I really overworked myself this week... and i was thinking this morning how overworking is a form of distrust. Because it's not believing God has it all in his hands so i need to take control and do all these things. But really I need to rest, to put it in his hands to trust him to do what he is gonna do anyways.
In Exodus one of God’s biggest themes is REST. The sabbath. Having one day of no work, no business, just pure rest. And he was so serious about making sure that they rested that it said, “anyone who works on the Sabbath will most certainly be put to death.” ~Ex 31:15
SO I started wondering why it is sooooo important to God that we rest, like a whole entire day of each week to rest. I think it is for the same reason that we like to be so busy and over work ourselves. Because busy-ness distracts us from God, from the deeper questions and difficulties of life. Over working makes us feel like we are productive and got life under control. But when we have it all under control we don’t really have to trust God.
Maybe God wants us to rest so that we will leave our work alone to actually be with Him, for Him to show us that the world actually won’t stop if we do, and to deal with things and trust Him and His work rather than ourselves and our work.
Overworking comes from distrust and leads to a drained spirit which comes from letting the weight of the world fall on me... which in turn makes me less productive and less available.
I love that God modeled this for us. "And God blessed the 7th day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." ~ Genesis 2:2 God took part in the Sabbath, God rested. I wonder what God's rest looks like??
After Friday's I know I always feel rejuvinated, re-energized, and restored. He fills me up so I can go back into another week ready to give out of His abundance and the new energy and trust he gives when we submit to his command to REST.
