Friday, August 1, 2008

Rest


Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Too many burdens, worries and so little time. Never enough time to rest. Is that really our humanity? Thank goodness for the mandatory holidays; otherwise, would we ever give ourselves time to relax?

Merriam-Webster defines rest as: 1: REPOSE, SLEEP; specifically: a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities 2 a: freedom from activity or labor b: a state of motionlessness or inactivity c: the repose of death 3: a place for resting or lodging 4: peace of mind or spirit 5 a (1): a rhythmic silence in music (2): a character representing such a silence b: a brief pause in reading 6: something used for support

Do you know what Friday nights feel like to me? If you’ve ever gotten a massage, it’s the peacefulness, quietness and happiness that come about; although I really wish it could be a Friday ritual to actually get about an hour long massage or so, or maybe simply once a month. Wouldn’t that be nice! J

Friday nights are as refreshing as an ice-cold glass of water on a scorching hot day; and as you drink it you can feel the water filtering down inside of your body as it soothingly says, “aahhh!” It’s the satisfaction knowing that Sabbath is here and I don’t have to worry about work until Monday. It’s the happiness knowing that I can put off doing laundry until Sunday! It’s definitely the freedom from activity or labor (as Merriam-Webster puts it).

Once I know that Sabbath is here I can truly enjoy a day off and do things that will lift my soul spiritually – whether it’s meeting up with friends or being out in nature. Even reading a book Sabbath afternoon can be quite refreshing.

I am so thankful that I’m an Adventist and have been given the privilege and right by God to have a day off to rest. We can’t be workaholics all of the time. We all simply need some time to rest and definitely take some time off for ourselves to get some sanity and a little more perspective and clarity.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails