And the rest was beautiful. I'm a busy person, like I'm sure you are too. This is no surprise; we live in the culture of exhaustion. The "shop till you drop, work till you can't" mentality pervades our society, so much so that we view rest as laziness.
But how blatantly contrary to God's Word. I was reminded of an article by Jen Wilkin I read last summer. In it, she wrote,
The God who grants us soul-repose commands our worship in the form of bodily rest. The worshiper is blessed in obedience. Restored and ready, he resumes the effort of tilling his corner of the garden. More importantly, he's reminded that both the garden and also the one who tills are contingent and derived, depending every moment on the sustaining breath of the Creator. He is thereby mercifully relieved of his idolatrous, exhaustion-breeding belief that the work of his hands upholds the universe in part or in whole.
The command to rest is most clearly displayed in God's calling His people to keep the Sabbath. We are sinning when we refuse to rest, because when we obey this command of God we sacrifice our pride and idolatry and express satisfaction in God's power and our limits. By refusing to rest, we are saying that we think we can do life alone, that we can sustain our world through our power, might, and long hours. And in the face of disobedience, our love for and worship of God grows cold.
Wilkin continues,
Love grows warm once again in the emptied spaces of rest. We remember our love for the One who sustains us, we recall our love for the ones who surround us. Worshipful rest renews our love for God and for others. It is the rest that restores our souls.
Busyness is not always bad. But when it is hindering you from worshipful rest, it most certainly is. Don't let hectic days cool your love for the Creator. Enjoy the beauty of rest.
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