Gift of Rest(oration)
How often do we fill the day from the time the alarm goes off to the time that we fall into bed exhausted and asleep immediately? How often do we stop for a cup of coffee or tea only to lift it to our lips, inhale deeply and remember all the things we left off the to-do list? There are always things stacked in the to-do or honey-do list. I actually do not have so many things on my to-do list, except for the self-imposed deadlines of three blog posts per week, cooking, cleaning, and shopping. I recognize, especially since we are still under stay-at-home orders, that I do not have that much pulling me in different directions. But still I finish the day out of breath and, as we reach the end of summer, I am weary.
Intentional Rest
We all know the creation story: light, sky, land with vegetation, sun and stars, sea and air animals, land animals and man, rest. God could have stopped at day 6, said it was good, and then continued on with the rest of the story. But he chose to rest. He could have told Adam to rest for one day while God went about doing something else. Instead, He intentioned rest for himself and for us. We generally look for or plan rest when we are weary and tried. We look forward to it at the end of the day, at the end of a specific event or season of activity. But God does not slumber nor sleep, He watches over us day and night, our coming and going (Psalm 121). He does not need to rest, nor does He grow tired or weary (Is 40:28). Why has He rested if He does not require it? He rested because He was pleased with all creation. He stopped to enjoy His work; He was satisfied with the work of His hands. He was satisfied with the little lambs and the corn and cotton. With the penguins and giraffes, the stars, and the moon. He was satisfied. He is satisfied with you; He is satisfied with His creation of you.
Hurry not to the Next Thing
God was likely ready to get on with the next things on the list, getting to know Adam, watch how he interacted with all creation, the various animals and such. The anticipation must have been something; anyone who has watched as a baby grows into a toddler and explores the world can imagine the wonder that God anticipated as He created Adam. Instead of giving in to that exciting experience of Adam’s growth, He instead rested. Why do we have such a hard time delaying the next good thing? Why do we not enjoy and celebrate today’s moments? God did. When He rested on the seventh day, the intention was to enjoy all the goodness of the earth. God clearly did not have the inclination to mark off the things on His list and then move to the next one. I bet He had a list, after all He is the God of order and not chaos. But His list did not define the day or the activity. His list was not the ‘get it done list’ but rather it was the ‘do it well’. Part of His ‘doing things well’ was resting so He could enjoy it.
Resting is God’s Plan for Us
Yes, there is definitely a lesson for us in the first thirty-four verses of the Bible about rest. But would you be surprised to hear that I found a second in those same verses? There was something else that popped out when I re-read this story, on day four. When the moon and stars and sun are created and placed in the vault, Genesis 1:14 also says, ‘let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.’ The stars and sun are to mark the times that are set apart, set for specific activity. With our nightly sleep, how could I have missed that this too points to the rest that we require. Remember, man had not yet been created, but God had provided all the necessary things before Adam’s arrival. These times for growth and festivals as well as rest were already a part of this great plan. We are not just given the opportunity to sleep but we are given a gift of nightly restoration.
Gift of Rest(oration)
I have to admit that I do not always look at going to bed as a gift of rest. Sometimes I look at it as a time to quietly read and escape to an alternate reality, sometimes it is relief from exhaustion, sometimes it is a thing that I don’t get enough of. Usually it is something that I don’t take proper advantage of. I sacrifice sleep often to get more of my wants into the day. And as I think this over, I realize how insulting that is to God, the One who is trying to take good care of me. Yet I ignore that. I did recently realize that I am much more functional if I get 7 full hours of sleep – but what that really means (thanks to my smart watch) is that I have to be ‘sleeping’ for 8 hours. I lose an hour by waking or tossing and turning according to these new-fangled machines! Should I extend that to 7.5 or even 8 hours? I’m already screaming at myself inside saying ‘no! I want…!’ God has His reasons for the instruction He gives, and this instruction starts in the beginning. I think I’ll heed it and embrace this gift of restoration.
How much do you sleep each night? Have you got a new smart watch telling you all this? This month we will look at inviting rest and slowing down the hurry to embrace the pace and peace of God. Is there any particular struggle you want to discuss? Leave a comment or write me an email!
