Why Rest Isn’t Lazy — It’s Obedient

As you read this, Fist Bump, we suspect many of you are on Spring Break with your families. If so, we hope you are enjoying some quality family time and can unplug a bit from the pressure of life that can so often consume us.

Spring Break is, hopefully, a time of rest for you. God wants us to have rest. He created the Sabbath day to rest from "work" and create a space for us to worship Him.

"By the seventh day, God finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day, he rested from all work." Genesis 2:2

"There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4: 9-11

"Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27

God created the Sabbath for us. He wants and expects us to take time out to REST from our "work." He wants us to sit back and enjoy his creation and all the blessings around us. He wants us to spend time with Him.

While traditional Sabbath practices often involve a full day of rest and spiritual reflection (Sunday), we believe that the concept of the Sabbath can carry over to other days of the week. During the week, we all could benefit from carving out some time for what we will call "Sabbath times."

"Sabbath times" are those times in our lives and schedules when we can personally take a break, recharge, and "refresh our soul."

Unfortunately, in today's fast-paced world and the 24/7 access via our cell phones and social media, finding those times of "sabbath" or rest in our lives is getting more challenging. We often say to ourselves our schedules are too busy. We also find that we can find time to schedule other things, but when it comes to creating a time of rest for ourselves and allowing time to connect with God, we have a challenge finding time.

"Come to me, all of 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 will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Part of having a Sabbath experience is to let Jesus carry some of our load. When we "yoke" to Him, he helps us take a pause from carrying the load all by ourselves and hopefully find some relief and rest.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he refreshes my soul" Psalm 23: 1-3

Where do we find a "green pasture or some still waters" in our schedules? What does some "Sabbath time" look like for each of us?

We bet you are saying, "Great, guys. It sure would be nice to lay down in a "green pasture," but with an active family, demands at work and home, sports schedules, email, texts, Facebook, overall demands of life, etc., where am I going to fit that in?"

How about in the morning before you look at your cell phone? You quiet your mind before you jump into the day. Take time to say a prayer and talk to God. Remember, he was lying awake all night, just waiting for you to wake up. If just for five minutes, make this YOUR time before the kids come rushing in.

How about you purposely shut off your cell phone for 15 minutes each day, sit somewhere quiet, and take some time for thinking, reflection, prayer, and worship? It's no one else's time but yours. Block it.

Try this: When you are in your car, turn on praise music and enjoy a time of worship. If inclined, you might even sing along. How about spending some time with a close friend in prayer?

You get the point. There are various ways for each of us to find those "green pastures and still waters" in our lives. We need to make it a priority. It is good for us and helps us be stronger for the ones we care about and love. It will not be easy, and embracing this practice is a journey. Be patient with yourself. The key is to START. We are all on this journey together.

Find your own way to include some "Sabbath time" in your life. Find those spaces where you truly feel your soul is being refreshed—your gas tank is getting filled up. God wants us to do this. He created the idea of the Sabbath, knowing we needed it.

We appreciate each of you and hope that you can find a path to regular "Sabbath time" in your life and schedule in some small way.