My blog post - “Why Rest?” from February 18, 2010 brought some interesting comments. Though they were not posted, I wanted to share one comment in particular.
Of course, the command in the Bible is pretty harsh, anyone who works on the Sabbath should be "put to death." This is one reason why I have trouble translating the Bible literally 100%.
- Anonymous Blog Reader
For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.
Exodus 35:2 (NIV)
God is pretty serious in this command and I do think He meant for it to be taken literally. However, He issued a consequence for not following the command that we have trouble swallowing. I believe that though the command is to be taken literally, “For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord.” the consequence has now been covered by grace. We are no longer to be put to death because, though that is the punishment for sin (For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23), our sin has been covered and redeemed through the death of Jesus Christ (that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3:16).
I believe that God knew how easy it would be to ignore this command and, in our ambition, continue moving at a pace of life that is dangerous for both our body and our soul. Because of the seriousness of the need for rest, He issued the strongest possible punishment - death. It is the same thing that I do when I proclaim a strong consequence for a serious rule that I give my children. The punishment for not cleaning their room will not be as strong as the consequence for hitting their little brother in the head with a baseball bat! I want them to know that I mean business and it truly is for their own good.
Though I believe that God is just as serious about rest today, He no longer instructs us to put someone to death for ignoring this law. Unfortunately what we do not seem to realize is that no one needs to take it upon themselves to put me to death for the lack of my rest - I am doing a fine job myself. When I neglect physical rest my body cannot keep up with the demands that I place on it. Heart attacks and strokes among many other physical ailments are a direct result of the continual stress that we place on our bodies by insisting that they go faster and do more every day. On the flip side, when I push myself constantly without the emotional, mental, and spiritual rest that I need, then my soul suffers as well. When my soul is neglected, it begins to die. Depression and suicide are some of the results of a weary soul. (Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Psalm 42:11)
I do believe that we are called to a New Testament living. There are many things in the Old Testament law that were put in place for the time and culture of its people. But I do not believe that we are to ignore God’s commands. Over and over in the Old and New Testament we are told of the importance of taking time out to rest. Jesus said that He had not come to take anything away from the law, but instead to give it a different ending. (Matthew 5:17-20)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Why Rest?
Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.
Exodus 34:21 (The Message)
For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.
Exodus 35:2 (NIV)
I think that God was serious about this “rest” thing. It seems that regular periods of rest were not a polite suggestion, but a command instead! When I am talking to my kids, I will often say things like, “Would you mind collecting all of the trash cans?” or “Could you please feed the dogs?” But when I want them to know that I really mean business, I don’t waste time making requests of them. Instead, I will say, “Get your homework done, now!” or “Stop yelling in the house!” There is a definite difference in my tone of voice and the words that I use. My kids know that they are to obey my requests, but they don’t even hesitate when I use a command!
I find it interesting that God anticipated the excuses that the Israelites would use to avoid these periods of rest. “But God, the crops have to be harvested today or we will lose them.” God says, “No excuses! Do what I say, no matter what!” We still use the same excuses today. “I can’t slow down or I will get behind.” “After this busy season, I will take a break.” “When things slow down and I get my life in order, I will take a vacation.” Same old excuse - but God has the same answer. Stop and Rest - no matter what.
In my story, The Still Place, from my first “Cup of Encouragement” Book, I talked about a reason why I tend to avoid stopping and resting. “To give up all of the rushing and the momentum, to be quiet and still, is to give up control.” My husband, Jerry, often uses the picture of someone who hits their thumb with a hammer. The first instinct is to shake the hand. The movement of shaking numbs the nerves and keeps the pain at bay. Once the shaking stops, the pain sets in. In life, we keep moving in order to delay the pain. If we stop, we must face whatever is going on in our hearts. By continuing in our busyness, we think we are controlling our emotions, but what we are really doing is simply delaying the pain.
I once heard a pastor say that we sometimes “outrun our soul.” My soul will not function at a hundred miles per hour. Even if I manage to keep my body moving at that pace for a long period of time, eventually the weariness of my soul will be made known. How then can my soul catch up?
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16
Exodus 34:21 (The Message)
For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.
Exodus 35:2 (NIV)
I think that God was serious about this “rest” thing. It seems that regular periods of rest were not a polite suggestion, but a command instead! When I am talking to my kids, I will often say things like, “Would you mind collecting all of the trash cans?” or “Could you please feed the dogs?” But when I want them to know that I really mean business, I don’t waste time making requests of them. Instead, I will say, “Get your homework done, now!” or “Stop yelling in the house!” There is a definite difference in my tone of voice and the words that I use. My kids know that they are to obey my requests, but they don’t even hesitate when I use a command!
I find it interesting that God anticipated the excuses that the Israelites would use to avoid these periods of rest. “But God, the crops have to be harvested today or we will lose them.” God says, “No excuses! Do what I say, no matter what!” We still use the same excuses today. “I can’t slow down or I will get behind.” “After this busy season, I will take a break.” “When things slow down and I get my life in order, I will take a vacation.” Same old excuse - but God has the same answer. Stop and Rest - no matter what.
In my story, The Still Place, from my first “Cup of Encouragement” Book, I talked about a reason why I tend to avoid stopping and resting. “To give up all of the rushing and the momentum, to be quiet and still, is to give up control.” My husband, Jerry, often uses the picture of someone who hits their thumb with a hammer. The first instinct is to shake the hand. The movement of shaking numbs the nerves and keeps the pain at bay. Once the shaking stops, the pain sets in. In life, we keep moving in order to delay the pain. If we stop, we must face whatever is going on in our hearts. By continuing in our busyness, we think we are controlling our emotions, but what we are really doing is simply delaying the pain.
I once heard a pastor say that we sometimes “outrun our soul.” My soul will not function at a hundred miles per hour. Even if I manage to keep my body moving at that pace for a long period of time, eventually the weariness of my soul will be made known. How then can my soul catch up?
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
What is Rest?
Rest is a hard concept for me because I tend to be an all or nothing person. I am either on the go or I am sleeping. Since I am not good at time management, my days feel rushed and there never seems to be time to slow down. My nights are restless because of the stress of the day, but because I also struggle with depression, I sleep a lot and then I feel bad because nothing gets accomplished. Once the guilt settles in, I move into the busy mode again because, if I am moving I don’t feel depressed.
I know that my lack of exercise has a lot to do with the way I feel, so rest seems like a strange thing to focus on. However, I feel strongly that God is telling me to begin here – I must to learn to rest.
I have struggled with the misconception that rest means sleep, so I decided to look up the actual definition of the word “rest”. Webster defines rest as both a noun and a verb. The noun definitions are as follows:
a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities
freedom from activity or labor
peace of mind or spirit
something used for support
I am pretty good at the first description. I can shut down with the best of them. I can lie in bed, slow my breathing, close my eyes, and do nothing for hours. Unfortunately, as I have discovered, this does not help either my body or my soul to feel more rested. Instead, it merely delays all of the things that need to be addressed in my life. I really think that it must be the following three definitions that God is calling me to. Freedom, peace, and learning to lean on God certainly do sound appealing. How then can I put those things into practice?
Freedom: Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household and the alien as well, may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12
Peace: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
Support: The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
I know that my lack of exercise has a lot to do with the way I feel, so rest seems like a strange thing to focus on. However, I feel strongly that God is telling me to begin here – I must to learn to rest.
I have struggled with the misconception that rest means sleep, so I decided to look up the actual definition of the word “rest”. Webster defines rest as both a noun and a verb. The noun definitions are as follows:
a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities
freedom from activity or labor
peace of mind or spirit
something used for support
I am pretty good at the first description. I can shut down with the best of them. I can lie in bed, slow my breathing, close my eyes, and do nothing for hours. Unfortunately, as I have discovered, this does not help either my body or my soul to feel more rested. Instead, it merely delays all of the things that need to be addressed in my life. I really think that it must be the following three definitions that God is calling me to. Freedom, peace, and learning to lean on God certainly do sound appealing. How then can I put those things into practice?
Freedom: Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household and the alien as well, may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12
Peace: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
Support: The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Friday, February 12, 2010
Crisis Overload
I have been trying to figure out lately why I am so tired all of the time. Certainly poor diet and lack of exercise have a lot to do with my physical fatigue, but I am also mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually exhausted. God has been calling me to learn about resting in Him, so I decided that before I can truly rest, I should know what it is that is wearing me out.
In college, I took a class on the family. Of all of the classes I sat in, this one resonated with me as information that I would need for the rest of my life. I saved my notes and every once in a while I refer to that notebook to see how it lines up with my experiences. One particular section of the class talked about crisis and that little tidbit has camped out in a corner of my mind for the last twenty years! As I contemplated my ever-changing circumstances of late, I pulled out the notebook for a glance at the section on crisis. Here is what I read:
Crisis - crucial change in the course of events,
a turning point,
or an unstable condition of affairs
Crisis Overload - experiencing more than one crisis at once
These definitions jumped off the page at me and screamed, “Hello, this is your life!” Truthfully, with the society that we live in today, I don’t know many people who are not in crisis overload on a regular basis. We live at such a pace today that we often precipitate our own crises. We don’t allow for times of rest and we move from activity to activity with little transition time. A busy and hurried life is, in fact, an unstable condition of affairs - the very definition of crisis.
In an effort to identify the amount of crisis overload in my own life, I decided to make a list of the crises I have endured in the past seven years. Some of the items on my list are too personal to list, however, here is an abbreviated version:
Separation
Divorce
Move (4 times)
Remarriage
Blended Family (new children)
Career Change
Lifestyle change (subdivision to farm life)
Financial Crisis
Church Change
Death of Grandmother
Surgery for my child
Now some may look at my list and think, “That’s nothing, you should see what I have been through,” and others will remark, “Wow, what have I been complaining for?” But I have learned that crisis is relative. There is no way to compare circumstances because what is painful and difficult for me is just that - painful and difficult. We must also remember that even a joyful event can be a crisis. Anything that causes change or significant interruption in our lives is considered a crisis. The bottom line is that crisis causes stress, and stress causes fatigue.
So now that I know what is to blame for my weariness, what do I do with it? There is a certain sense of relief to know that I am justified in my exhaustion, but I don’t want to remain there. Where do I go from here? I will go to the only place I know that offers true rest!
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”
Isaiah 30:15
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5
Come to me all 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 you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
In college, I took a class on the family. Of all of the classes I sat in, this one resonated with me as information that I would need for the rest of my life. I saved my notes and every once in a while I refer to that notebook to see how it lines up with my experiences. One particular section of the class talked about crisis and that little tidbit has camped out in a corner of my mind for the last twenty years! As I contemplated my ever-changing circumstances of late, I pulled out the notebook for a glance at the section on crisis. Here is what I read:
Crisis - crucial change in the course of events,
a turning point,
or an unstable condition of affairs
Crisis Overload - experiencing more than one crisis at once
These definitions jumped off the page at me and screamed, “Hello, this is your life!” Truthfully, with the society that we live in today, I don’t know many people who are not in crisis overload on a regular basis. We live at such a pace today that we often precipitate our own crises. We don’t allow for times of rest and we move from activity to activity with little transition time. A busy and hurried life is, in fact, an unstable condition of affairs - the very definition of crisis.
In an effort to identify the amount of crisis overload in my own life, I decided to make a list of the crises I have endured in the past seven years. Some of the items on my list are too personal to list, however, here is an abbreviated version:
Separation
Divorce
Move (4 times)
Remarriage
Blended Family (new children)
Career Change
Lifestyle change (subdivision to farm life)
Financial Crisis
Church Change
Death of Grandmother
Surgery for my child
Now some may look at my list and think, “That’s nothing, you should see what I have been through,” and others will remark, “Wow, what have I been complaining for?” But I have learned that crisis is relative. There is no way to compare circumstances because what is painful and difficult for me is just that - painful and difficult. We must also remember that even a joyful event can be a crisis. Anything that causes change or significant interruption in our lives is considered a crisis. The bottom line is that crisis causes stress, and stress causes fatigue.
So now that I know what is to blame for my weariness, what do I do with it? There is a certain sense of relief to know that I am justified in my exhaustion, but I don’t want to remain there. Where do I go from here? I will go to the only place I know that offers true rest!
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”
Isaiah 30:15
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5
Come to me all 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 you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
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