Rest
What does that even mean?
rest
verb
cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
Every month we discuss with our hosts what days will be our “rest” days. We usually get two days out of the week for rest days. One is carved out for adventure and the other is carved out for actual rest. However, I personally have not been very good at “resting” on the race. For me a rest day usually consists of going on an adventure all day long and spending time with my team on this adventure. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a ton of fun. But it isn’t necessarily restful. Something I have come to realize is that it is completely necessary to rest. Often times on the race I have had the feeling that I need to be doing something whether it be ministry or talking to the Lord. Neither of these things are bad, but it’s never bad to not be doing anything.
Rest looks differently for everyone. Whether it’s taking a nap, watching netflix, going to the beach and soaking up the sun, or simply resting in the Lord’s presence by just listening to his voice.
Come to me all who are weary and heaven laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
It is month ten, and I am so tired. Traveling from country to country for 10 consecutive months is exhausting, but it has been so amazing seeing the Lord work in and through me in so many incredible ways. So this month I am trying to use my rest days in a way that will be beneficial for me and not worry about missing out on adventures or having fomo (fear of missing out). I am trying to use these days to keep myself from feeling depleted. I need energy to continue on this race that the Lord has set before me (one more month!?!?).
In earlier months of the race the newness and honeymoon phase was still there and I had so much energy to spend on going to see different landmarks or go on spontaneous adventures on both of the rest days provided. Sometimes rest days on the race become more chaotic than a day at ministry. What I didn’t realize was that I would need more days to rest and just rejuvenate for what was to come next.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then 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
In Exodus, the sabbath is taken so seriously that if you don’t follow it you’ll be put to death. In Biblical times they didn’t mess around with rest. No one did anything on the sabbath day simply because they knew they would be punished.
In South America, some stores take a “siesta” which could be from 1-3 hours long. I’m waiting for the U.S.A. to incorporate this into the work day, because 30 minutes for a lunch break isn’t really much time to rest.
The Lord created us to work hard and to push through hard things, but he also created our bodies as temples- a dwelling place for his Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to take care of ourselves to adequately listen and obey what he is telling us. Whenever we work really hard and then decide we can work even more we are most likely doing damage to ourselves and I know for myself that in those circumstances I am usually not the nicest person and don’t display the Gospel very well.
The Lord rests. He even created a whole day for it. For him to rest, and for us to rest. He doesn’t want us to be weary because of all of the things on our plates. We tend to work ourselves to the bone and then wonder why we are so tired, or why we cant work anymore. It is so important to rest that way you can effectively portray the Gospel to others by the way you carry yourself.
