REST

So a friend of mine posted a quote by J. Douma yesterday and I liked it quite a bit, to the point where I looked it up. It was in a book entitled "An Introduction to Biblical Ethics" which makes sense as this guy is a youth pastor and all that jazz. Anyhoot. I came across an even more thought provoking idea that had me quite Excited honestly. The author of this book, David Jones - was taking the time to go though each of the Ten Commandments, bringing forth a variety of ideas I had not heard before and I got quite consumed in interest. And I got to the Fourth Commandment. Now - I could not have even told you which this was. Indeed - I had to go back and look as I had scanned over it too fast. Just fyi, er rather fmi, it's the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. And here's where my interest spiked...

"Interestingly, the primary meaning of the term Sabbath is not 'seven' but 'rest.' The term is derived from the Hebrew verb shabath which means 'to rest or to cease from labor.' Because God rested on the seventh day of creation, the word Sabbath in Hebrew came to be used for the number seven. The fourth commandment specifies that this Sabbath rest was to be observed every seventh day. In the Old Testament the concept of Sabbath-keeping, or regular resting in order to worship, was deeply entrenched in the life of God's people."

Dude y'all! Do you see how Big of a Deal this is? The application found in here that is not subconsciously realized by SO Many?! The idea that REST is not to be once a week - but Sunday is actually the Ultimate Day to Rest. The Big Celebration of Rest if you will. Y'all - they even did this Every Seven Years! Yeah - it was called the Sabbath Year. And every seven cycles of this Sabbath Year - Guess what that was called? Um - the Jubilation Year, yo! Totally mind-blowing. Heard that term Many times, never knew it was like the Ultimate Party, Celebrating REST.

I'm reading this and my mind keep ramping. Why? Because a sin that has been passed down from generation to generation, even since World War II at least - is that idea that Idleness is of the Devil. That you are not Honoring God unless you are Productive. And of course, this is another one of those Lines in Life. You can sin by taking either the Extremes. Laziness and Sloth are not Pleasing to God or anyone. But did you ever consider that it is actually a SIN to not let yourself BREATHE? Oh - I sure as hell didn't. And this is the reason it's Revolutionary to me.

I Know for a Fact I'm not the only one who feels Massive Guilt when taking time for myself. When I'm being "selfish" by taking a nap instead of doing the dishes, or reading instead of the dozens of errands that "should" have been done that day. Do I really need to waste water by taking a bath that's solely for Relaxation? And the Worst - sitting on the porch, not even playing with the kittens; just staring blankly into space, lazily thinking about nothing that actually matters. How could I not have guilt over that?! The Ultimate form of Laziness!

But NO.

It is NOT.

While I would say Every Single Person struggles with Every Single Sin, we also do it to varying degrees. Even if you tend to an extreme with one sin, humans are fickle and contradictory - you will have times where the opposite extreme is hard as well. I know I do. It's a pain in the ass. And so, while I definitely can be quite lazy at times, it's not a struggle that I am often convicted of. However - an inability to take a moment to Breathe? To REST? Yes - that is Most Definitely a Transgression of mine.

But maybe you wonder Why? Why is it a sin to Work, when the work you do is Good? Why is it a sin to Constantly be doing Good? Well - the answer is within that question. You are not GOD. We are human, filled with sin, Imperfect and Broken Individuals - All of us. You simply cannot Follow God up or Down the Cliff's of Insanity without Tiring. How many times have I said our Pilgrim's Progress will not be easy? Not just mine - but Every One of God's Children. Yeah - it SUCKS, but it's TRUE. We are to Follow God, no matter how Treacherous, no matter how Difficult. And we are to REST as well.

And maybe you're thinking, but my work - it's not Treacherous or Difficult. It fills me with such Joy, how could I possibly tire? Ok. Seriously? Yeah - you're Life's work may be Joyful, but that doesn't go hand-in-hand with a ceaseless abundance of energy. There is NO Direct Correlation between joy and energy. I've actually found quite the opposite. I get a bit narcoleptic-like for a variety of reasons. One of which is when my emotions peak - Particularly, Joy. I do. I conk for like 15 minutes, like my mind is a compute that was overloaded and needs to be restarted, which is essentially what is happening. So maybe you're currently Following God through a Sea of Tranquility. That STILL does not negate His Commandment to REST.

And I've thought about this further as it is a subject often broached in my therapy sessions. It is well-known that I don't give myself a Break of any kind. While my outward appearances often look unproductive - my mind is Rarely still and Constantly Trying to Work. Indeed, it is working now to Understand that it's Allowed to just - Stop. Not sure if this will help yet or not, but one can Hope. I've learned to let my body rest, but my mind does not listen to me. It's rather like a cat, it will do what I want, when it wants to, and Certainly Not if I try to command it. Yeah - I love cats, but I do not wish for one that controls my thinking.

So this Rest - it's to give yourself a Chance to clear your thoughts, to Breathe. You are to Rest, in Order to Worship. I mean, what would happen if you went 48 hours without sleep? Perhaps you wouldn't be hallucinating, but try going 72 hours. Ok, up that. Go a week without sleep and see how "Productive" you actually are. Same with Spiritual Rest. God gave us a Basic Principle to Live by. While a Basic Principle for Sleep is 8 hours a night; God is saying you need a Spiritual Rest of 24 hours - once a week, declared as Sunday. Without at least this much - you will start to go bonkers after a while.

But what does Spiritual Rest look like? That, my dear - is not in a formula, or even a Blog Post. It will be different for every individual. I will tell you - I often call mine a Date. A Date with God, my BigMan. It's times where I follow Him out and about, never really knowing where I'll end up or why - but when I get there - I cannot even Describe the Beauty I have found. I have sat on the edge of a private pond late at night, the moon high in the sky, the stars brightly reflecting on the dark surface of the water, as the sounds of birds, fish, frogs and chickadees sang to the Heavens - culminating in a solo performance by a shooting star. I returned to Home that night with a Heart full of Wonder and Excited with what God had in store for me.

Because that is what Rest is all about. There are many reasons to lack a Passion for Christ, but one of those reasons can certainly be if you're not taking time to Rest. And maybe you're not the kind who likes to cozy up on a bed of moss beneath a tree. There are other ways to Rest. You can go to the movies, the library, the mall even. You can be by yourself or with friends. Like I said, there is no formula for Rest; which can make it difficult to know how to do so. I suggest this - Follow God and Experiment. If you come away with, what we called at camp as a "Jesus High" - that's an Excellent Indication you found one of the variety of ways you can Spiritually Rest.

Of course, they can be fickle. What can be Rest one day, will not necessarily be the next. Best to keep experimenting. And Sunday, being the Ultimate Day to Rest is the Best Day to Experiment. Find what helps to Renew your Passion for Christ and then Regularly Practice this, throughout the week. And then on God's Day - Go all out. Rest your Ass Clean Off!  Do not let yourself Spiritually Tire. Once a week - you must renew. And while you Must Follow God and Honor Him with how you Rest. Don't for a second believe you must do it the way Everyone else does it. No - I don't always go to the service and regularly miss Sunday School. Because Sunday is God's Day, not The Church's. You are Not to Follow your family, or friends, or even your pastor - you are to Follow GOD. And while they may be one and the same, not always are they. Remember that. It's Important.

And with that, my mind is Spent. Perhaps I, myself will Practice Resting today. The weathermen have rumored it to be a rather Beautiful Day - perhaps I'll go for a workout. Yes - that is often one of my forms of Rest. How could it not be with the Beautiful Greenways and Art practically littered about Cary? It's Marvelous! Have a Good Day my Friends. Indeed - Have a God Day.