Rest

 

I've always been a busy person. I suppose you would call me a "Type A" personality; I have multiple irons in the fire at any time during the day! There's working at our home-based business, travel (at least before Covid), and in years past, homeschooling kids while maintaining a (mostly) clean house, etc.  The local homeschool cooperative and the sports teams, too, needed my organizational skills and ideas. Worthy causes all. (Grin)

Sometimes we humans are reminded of our mortality. For some of us, it's when we lose a job. Others are brought to a halt by health issues. Yet others may be reminded of our vulnerabilities when caring for a baby or a loved one who is ill . . . 

Whatever the reason, we may be face to face with the fact that we are "running on fumes." Our stores of energy, or our battery levels, if you will, are depleted.  Our bodies need to recuperate and slow down - in spite of our enthusiasm for worthy causes. We may be forced to cut back and allow more time for solitude, reflection, recreation, and even sleep.

Terms like "quality time" and "finding a balance" are tossed about at seminars and studies; how do we find that balance that our culture says is workable? Is there something more that we need to learn about the value of slowing down?

Especially at this time of year, when we are boldly determined to make changes . . . we clutch our list of resolutions tightly in our hands and muster all of the enthusiasm that we can. We are motivated! We will work to make change happen!

I think that it's important even as the new year begins to make plans to slow down a little. To allow our bodies, minds, and souls to find rejuvenation. I may be talking contrary to many who are working to fire us up about goals for the new year -- and those goals are important -- but I think that rest is important.  I think the Bible has some principles that apply to us and will help us incorporate more leisure into our daily lives . . . and I think we will see some positive results.

I hope you will join me as we study a simple concept: rest.