It’s Time To Rest!

by Sylvia Gaston

Now that all the kids are out of school and the temperatures are on the rise, it’s time to enjoy the lazy, crazy days of summer.

Whether you have the entire summer off, a week or two, or even just a 3-day weekend here and there – there is great value in the practice of rest. Even God rested after creating the entire universe, Earth, and everything and everyone on it!

However, some of us take on summer like warriors – trying to cram as many trips, projects, activities and events as we can possibly fit into our available “time off”. We travel, paint our kitchen, renovate our yard, etc., etc. We come back to work exhausted and needing a vacation from our vacation.

How about this summer we plan some time to just rest? What?!? What a crazy concept!

We read in the Bible about a time when Jesus was teaching and performing miracles with His 12 closest followers. The Bible says, “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” (Mark 6:31)

Doesn’t that sound so wonderful? Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest.

But what would that look like, you may ask? What would I actually DO, you might ask? Here are only a few suggestions:

1. Reconnect: Reconnect with family or friends. Invite someone over to play a game, watch a movie, or just catch up. Relationships are the most important thing we will leave behind when we die. Why not cherish them now as the most important thing we could ever do?
2. Walk and Reflect: If you can find a beautiful place to do this, all the better but even a walk around your neighborhood can be enjoyable. Appreciate the outdoors that God created and give your mind a chance to wander and your imagination a chance to run free.
3. Breathe deeply. Most people don’t breathe deeply and the benefits are numerous. Deep breathing calms anxiety, is a natural pain killer, relieves stress, promotes better blood flow, increases energy.
4. Slow down: Do something leisurely that you used to enjoy. Are there things that you never have time to do? Bake cookies, read a book, exercise, paint or write. Just make sure it’s relaxing and enjoyable.
5. Pray: When was the last time you took time to count your blessings. Yeah, I know, life can be hard at times – mine, too – but the good always outweighs the bad.  Take time to really thank God for all that He has done for you and to appreciate all that is right in your world.
6. Get to know God: If you don’t already attend church, try out one (or two) and learn more about this Jesus guy. If you already do, spend more time reading God’s word, the Bible. (PS-Find a version that’s easy to read and understand. You’ll enjoy it so much more.)
7. Help others: It’s been proven that people feel so much better when they get outside their own world and help someone else. Serve at a pantry (Koinonia Church has one – wink, wink), cook a meal for someone, volunteer to babysit for a parent who desperately needs a break. You’ll be glad you did.
8. Sleep in or take a nap: Enough said!

You don’t have to use anything on this list. You can create your own restful plan for whatever time off you may have from work or school.

No matter what you decide to do this summer, remember to do it with rest in mind. And remember what Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 

Ahhhhh!

The 6:1 Ratio

by Tim Howard

My parents instilled in me a healthy work ethic that still lingers in my mind and affects the way I carry out my responsibilities. If you are like me, you may recall hearing similar statements: “No you can’t go out and play until you clean your room! After you pick up your clothes you may have dessert! When you finish your chores you can spend time with your friends!

Those directives were intended to teach me the value and priority of work. Work first – play second! The goal was good and right but something happened in translation. It actually created a faulty view of work in my own mind. I began to see work as a necessary evil – an undesirable obligation to perform and an obstacle to overcome before I could enjoy life. In short: It was something to be avoided rather than embraced.

I fear that attitude may be more prevalent in our society than we care to admit. Maybe the “T.G.I.F.” slogan reveals a philosophical shift of our priorities from valuing work to making play a more desirable focus.

The Bible tells us that God worked 6 days and rested one. That pattern is presented as a healthy way to live and promises more fulfillment if implemented. We were created to work and not merely relax. We were created to be producers and not just consumers. Granted, there can be an imbalance, which is captured in that little proverb, which says: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

God involves us in His work because He wants us to live with a sense of purpose and worth. Everyone needs something to do, someone to love and something to hope for. When you seek pleasure more than purpose, you alter the way you were created to function and do yourself a disservice.

I recently re-read an interesting verse in Philippians 2:12-13 that caught my attention. It instructs those who follow Jesus Christ to “work out” their salvation. The author instructs people to do more than get informed. He told them to get involved! Don’t wait for God to do everything for you but respond to His leading by obedience and let him do things through you! When you are willing to partner with Him, participate in His plan and share in the work – God’s blessings are unleashed exponentially!

Many people I meet seem to demonstrate an attitude that demands others to do something for them without any participation from them. That’s called entitlement! It’s an aroma that’s very distinctive in today’s culture. It’s seen in our expectations of parents, government agencies, organizations and even God. If we aren’t careful we can fall into the trap of thinking God isn’t at work while failing to realize the problem is our un-willingness to work.

It’s straight forward, not softened or watered down and some would even say it’s harsh, but the Apostle Paul gives this directive in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “…we gave you this rule: Whoever does not work should not eat.”

Whether it’s picking up your clothes, cleaning your room, laboring on the job, working on your marriage or earning a living – the 6:1 ration will provide great dividends if done with the right attitude. 

There is no unemployment in God’s Kingdom. There is plenty of work for everyone. Work is not a necessary evil but the pathway to fulfillment.

Rest Robbers

by Tim Howard

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which people have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while they sleep. It disrupts a person’s sleep and when they awaken they don’t feel rested. I know, because I am one of those who struggle with this.

You may not be wrestling with this disorder but you may be robbed of rest in other areas. You can lose sleep when you are worried about your past decisions. Especially if your past choices are causing negative ramifications in the present – true rest becomes elusive.

You may be among those who are restless and losing sleep over the current world conditions.  The threat of global recession, continuing wars, famines, natural disasters and incurable diseases – they can rob a person of their rest.

What about the future? The fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of what lies ahead, the possibilities of disaster that awaits. All these things can be rest robbers unless you follow God’s prescription for finding peace.

In Hebrews chapter 4 the author shows us a way to find true rest.  This rest is defined as a ‘peace from God’ that will allow you to sleep all night long and have pleasant dreams.  Check out what Paul the Apostle says in Philippians 4:7.  He tells us that this peace defies logic because it’s not connected to external things.  You can be in the middle of a raging storm and still sleep like a baby.  Mark 4:38 records a time when Jesus did just that.

The goalie who played for the United States soccer team alluded to this scripture in Philippians when he recently said: “I am blessed to be living a dream.  And yet, if it all went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that’s the kind of peace Christ gives. It is rooted in His love and it surpasses all understanding.”

There is a peace that grows strong when you stop worrying about your past and fretting about your future. Those two things are not the solution and do not produce peace or rest.

When you won’t leave the past hurts, the problems, the misunderstandings, the grudges and the resentments behind – they infect your present reality and don’t affect it in a positive way. 

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah tells us:  ‘Do not be obsessed with the former things or continually focus on the things of the past.” Why? They will rob you of peace and rest.

Regarding the future, Jesus said these words in Matthew 6:34 …do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Your decisions today actually shape your tomorrows and release God’s peace now. You can determine today that the rest of your days will be the best of your days. 

We were not created to live in the past or the future but in the present.  Rest and peace are not available to those who are obsessed with ‘what was’ or overly focused on ‘what will be’ – but to those who choose to embrace ‘what is.’ 

When you are at peace – you rest well. World peace in the external realm can only happen when people have an internal peace. God offers a peace through Jesus that is an eternal peace and can be experienced internally and externally. This possibility was declared by the angels “Peace on Earth…”