A Day of Rest

I love the idea of committing one day a week to a day of rest, a Sabbath day. Putting that idea into action, however, is often a lot harder. It seems like there is a never-ending to-do list in my mind: fold laundry, empty the dishwasher, mow the grass, weed the flowerbeds, go grocery shopping, pay bills, return e-mails... Giving up a day in a week that is already cram-full of obligations and necessities seems like an impossible thing to do.

But lately I've tried to set aside a day, usually Sunday, to limit activity and take some time off to rest. And guess what? I've come to realize that the world will not fall apart if I put off my laundry for a day. The neighbors probably won't revolt if I let the grass grow a day taller.

Taking a day off to rest means trusting that God will enable me to do in 6 days what it takes most people 7 days to accomplish. The Sabbath commandment given in the Old Testament was more than giving the Israelites a break from working. It was about resting their souls as well as their bodies, allowing them to trust in God to provide for them when they were unable to provide for themselves.

Today was a gorgeous spring day, a cloudless sky, warm but not too warm, a perfect day for me to do yardwork. I took a nap instead. I read the paper. I rested between church and my life group meeting. The grass will wait. I can mow it tomorrow night. But today my body and my soul needed to rest.