Rest? What is that?

For years I viewed the Sabbath as restrictive; I thought of it as a day to limit my fun. Even as a child, my parents joked that “Go” was my middle name. Resting does not come naturally for me. In fact, I tend to fight it.

Last year, God really began to convict me about the lack of rest in my life. He reminded me, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” Mark 2:27. Slowly, he changed my perception and helped me to see Sabbath as a gift.

The Israelites had been enslaved for years with no time for rest. From the very beginning, he demonstrated to us a call to work six days, and to rest the seventh. His burden is easy, and his yoke is light (Matthew 11:30). Why then, did I insist on making it heavy by refusing his gift of rest?

Our culture impresses on us the need for productivity. We are too often defined by what we “do” and not who we “are.” Christ cares about our souls. The Creator of the universe knows our limits, and encourages rest not to restrict us but to restore and revive us.

Even though I am still driven to “go” and “do,” I am learning the joy found in rest. I pray you will too.