License to Rest

Photo by lakbdesign/fergusandme

"And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested . . ." (Genesis 2:2 ESV)

I love being busy.

In truth, there are days I'd like to jump out a window due to the amount of work I have left to accomplish before bedtime, but mostly, I love being productive. I love to-do lists and projects and deadlines. I thrive on them like bacteria thrives in heat.

Ugly example, perhaps, but so true.

So when I arrive at the verse in my Bible study (like I did this afternoon) where God chose to take a day off from His labor to rest, I feel the force of its conviction right between my eyes.

It is a good thing to set aside a day to rest.

One of the most frequent questions I receive on this blog is, "Why don't you send a to-do list on Sunday? You send one every other day of the week!" And my response?--because we need to learn to slow down. Because we need to carve out time to rest.

I had a roommate in college who insisted on keeping Sundays homework-free. I used to furrow my brow at her while I was running around Sunday night stuffing books into my bag, adding words to my papers, and feverishly reviewing for my tests . . . all while she reflected on and appreciated the important things in her life.

I get it now.

Something will go undusted if we rest on Sunday. But our hearts will thrive . . .

. . . like bacteria thrives in heat.