Anticipating Rest

Rest is yet another subject that has been coming to my attention for the last few months. I needed it for sure when I lost my job in August. God provided.

I got a new job, and I imagined it would be busy. But God provided rest.

At times while working, He has blessed me with rest with classes that weren’t so intensive. But right now, though I am not stressed at work, I am stressed with my current classes. So much reading, so many detailed assignments. But as of today, I have two more assignments to complete—and four days to do them. Four more days, and I’ll have earned my Bachelor’s degree.

Here is the anticipation that has been on my mind. Accomplishing something big, yes, but above that: anticipating rest.

Enter sigh of relief.

Today, in a devotional, I read that God requires us to rest. If God, Creator of the universe, rested on the seventh day, who are we to believe our work is so important that we cannot rest?

I don’t believe that one specific day of the week is better than another to rest, but we must build rest into our busy lives.

I know it’s not even Christmas yet, but I’m thinking about the new year, and in my new year I desire rest. Restoration. Oh how I am looking forward to renewal—with my family, with my health, in my spiritual life. That’s not to say I will quit everything. But what I really want is to evaluate what I am getting involved in and determine whether or not it is a necessity. Choose the BEST yes, as Lysa TerKeurst would say.

My reading list for next year is filled with books on rest. (Reading is rest for me!) They are books on simplicity. I just want to be.

Sure things will get busy, and I’ll get in a rut every now and then. But ultimately what I want to come back to is caring for myself and weeding out the unnecessary so I can be a better mom, wife, employee, etc. Because without rest I am harried and hurried, and I hurt people.

Oh how I anticipate rest. Friday. I can push through ‘til Friday. And then, rest.