rest

One afternoon, I was in the back yard hanging the laundry when an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home. But when I walked into the house, he followed me, sauntered down the hall and fell asleep in a corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back. He resumed his position in the hallway and slept for an hour.

This continued for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar: "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."

The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with ten children - he's trying to catch up on his sleep."

(Susan Roman, from "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul")

A lot of us spend time trying to catch up on our sleep. Our lives are so very busy -- busyness has become a way of life. We work and work to do more and more -- wearing down our mental and physical health, as well as damaging our relationship with others. We need to be told to slow every now and then. That's why the Jews were commanded to take a Sabbath rest every week. That's why Jesus took time every now and then to get away from the crowd and recharge.

It's not that God is against work, not at all. From the time that Adam was set in the Garden of Eden, work has been a part of God’s plan for our lives. God is not against work. But He is against work consuming our lives. He is against us finding our significance and self-worth in our work. He is against us filling our lives so full of work that we don’t have time for Him or other people. And He doesn’t want us to think that work is all that there is in life. 

"Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, 'Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat." (Mark 6:30-31)

In your hectic schedule, don't forget to pencil in some time to rest!