Day of rest should mean unburdening yourself “B

y the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Gen 2:2 NIV

“Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male servant or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.” Exodus 20:9-10 NIV

Rest is not something we are very good at in our society today. We are constantly plugged in, jumping at a constant string of alerts that tell us anything from important family news to some stranger liking a picture of our cat.

We have allowed ourselves to come to a point where we are anxious that we might miss out on something or be left behind so we simply don’t stop and rest.

Many of us struggle to find a time of rest each week but do try to get away for some holidays and downtime during the summer. The interconnectedness of our world however makes it difficult to truly disconnect.

Even when we do find the time to get away and attempt to rest, the ever expanding cell coverage and free wifi is invading even the most restful of places. The fact that disconnecting and truly resting is becoming so difficult makes it that much more important to seek it out.

A book on my summer reading list is titled Sabbath as Resistance in which the author points out that the harder our culture tries to consume our time, thoughts and energy, the more taking true rest becomes a form or resistance.

In essence, the more we say yes to rest, the more we say no a culture that demands our every moment.

You may feel that you have to stay connected, you have to be available, that all the things coming your way are so vital and only you can do them.

A long hard look will likely reveal, things aren’t that urgent and you may not be as important as you think or perhaps you need to hold some things looser.

You may actually be running on empty and walking in weariness by no choice but your own.

I would encourage you as you go into this summer to consider what stopping to truly rest might look like. If you feel the weight of life coming down on you, remember the words of Jesus “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 NIV

If you feel the weight of a world demanding attention, begin your resistance today and ask God to show you what it is to truly rest.