I was a person who didn’t know how to stop. For way too many years, I took great pride in the fact that I “could get by” on 4-6 hours of sleep at night. I kept on working late into the night or into early morning because my to do list wasn’t done. I have worn my body out over the years and have woken up tired far too many mornings because I didn’t stop when my body and mind cried out for rest. I am a person who has realized that I have been laying burdens upon myself that weren’t meant for me. If I am not careful, I become a person who will pour and pour and pour into others until I am totally depleted. I am a person who has not allowed myself to get the rest I need. In fact, I still struggle…but…by the grace of God, I am changing, There is hope!
God’s words in Psalm 127:2 spoke to me long ago, “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.” I was also convicted by God’s command in the Old Testament that for six days we are to work, but on the seventh day we are to rest, just as God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. Those words were freeing when I read them, and I tried to find rest in them. Yet, between taking care of my family, volunteering with youth and working in a church, I’d soon get too busy and fall back into my overloaded lifestyle. For too many years, I wrote in my journal that I was tired and had too much to do. I decided in January 2016 that it was time to stop going back and forth; it was time to shape up and listen to God’s recurring soft whisper on my heart, “You need to rest.”
Now, I am not saying that you are wrong if you don’t choose to take a day of rest. What I am saying is that in my out-of-whack life, God convicted me that I need to.
A wise pastor once said something that really hit me. It was something to the effect that God said to work for 6 days and to take a break on the 7th, yet if I think that I need to work all 7 to get the job done, I am not trusting God.
An idea that has really been life-changing for me came from Dan Smith, a “retired” pastor who has been faithfully posting his beautifully written thoughts daily on Facebook for years. Dan wrote a couple of sentences in his November 6, 2016 post that I loved, “Well, every seven days, it’s called ‘Sunday’ and it’s like having an appointment that brings me up to date on where I stand with the Lord. So, today I can reflect back over the last six days; they’re all behind me, and see where I’ve been, and I can assess where I am today and can recommit that in all the tomorrows I will attempt to serve the Lord with even greater zeal than I have in the past; knowing all along that in just a week I will come full circle in doing it all again!”
I liked the idea of keeping an appointment like that with God. So one of the things that I committed to this year is to set aside as much of Sunday as possible to reflect on how awesome God is. Part of each Sunday is spent meeting with other believers to worship God. Part of the day is spent journaling all of the wonderful ways that I have seen him at work in and through me and the people around me. I record the things that he has taught me and pressed upon my heart. Then I go back and read those words the next Sunday to see if I obeyed what he made known to me or if I fell short. When I fail, I ask forgiveness and for help to overcome the next week. After I do my heart check with God, I write a new journal entry recording again what God has done over the past week, what he is teaching me and convicting me of and the progress I am making. After sorting things out with God, I end the evening writing a blog post, another idea that God has put on my heart this year.
Though I have journaled for years, it has greatly improved because of my appointment set aside to reflect and write each week. Before I got into this Sunday routine, I’d get so busy that I’d neglect taking a break to journal regularly. As a result, I would sometimes forget to record the awesome ways I saw God at work. Remembering the great things God has done encourages me when I am struggling and helps me when I am challenged with a decision.
Even though I meet with God each morning to study and to pray, I look forward to our Sunday appointment. No matter how hectic or difficult the week has been, I know that I can take a break to rest on Sunday. I guard that time and often have to say no to others in order to keep my commitment. Resting with God on Sunday shifts my focus back to him when the cares of the world have distracted me. Reflecting on the past week holds me accountable and helps me to grow and mature in my faith. Sitting at his feet and spending time with him refreshes me so that I am ready to pour into others again the next week.
How can I afford to stop and rest? How can I afford not to?