Mothers' Day, Sunday, Day of Rest

Hard to believe it's been almost 5 months since my last post. But time, as they say, flies like an arrow. And here we are in the middle of May.

Benjamin Franklin said, “He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.”

Last Sunday, Pastor Brian preached on the "Sabbath Rest." He kept saying how hard it is for us to take a rest, and that we often feel guilty not keeping busy. I smiled, laughed even, because that is not me. Resting is something I do really well. I wanted to say I wrote the book on Rest, but no, that would be God, actually. Retirement offers a lot of time for resting, taking it easy, only going out when necessary. I never have to drive in traffic if I don't want to. And who does?

I'm not bragging about how easy it is for me to take time to rest, because the previous statement by Brian was true of me for most of my life. As a young person, I enjoyed being busy ALL the time. It didn't matter what day it was. Later on, when I was teaching high school, I spent most evenings and weekends working . . . researching, grading papers, preparing lesson plans. I loved it. I learned to multitask, (grade papers while watching TV, etc.) often read more than one book at a time and still managed to sleep 8 hours/night. One of the benefits of staying so busy.

Matthew 11:28 records Jesus saying, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Greek word here is anapauō:  to repose (be exempt), remain; by implication to refresh, take ease, (give, take) rest.

Perhaps you know of the many benefits of sleep. You can check the link if you need a refresher. The newest findings refer to cortisol levels and weight gain. Stress and the concommitant lack of rest/sleep contribute to increased plasma cortisol. According to WebMD, "Levels of 'the stress hormone,' cortisol, rise during tension-filled times. . . . increased levels of (cortisol) also (contribute) to higher insulin levels, your blood sugar drops and you crave sugary, fatty foods." Comfort foods. (This is a short article worth perusing.)

There are also benefits to simply resting, ceasing our work routine. Hence the "coffee break"? Maybe we come back to the job with fresh inspiration and energy.

I imagine that the concept of having the weekend off came from an observance of the Jewish Sabbath, which is Saturday, and the Christian observance of Sunday as a day of rest because Christ rose on "the first day of the week." (Mark 16:9) In the past, the American culture supported the concept of Sabbath. Many businesses were closed on both days, and it wasn't until the early 1970's that retail shops began opening on Sundays.

Now retail and recreational outlets are not only open every day, but some are also doing business 24 hours a day! We now foster a culture of doing something every waking moment. That fed right into my image of myself having endless energy. I was invincible. Almost.

There are consequences to shunning the Sabbath rest.

When I began college, I was divorced, and my son was not yet in elementary school. I began taking evening classes at the Community College and moved on to Adelphi University for my junior and senior years. I worked part time, raised him alone, and lived in a second-story apartment. When I came to the end of my studies, I pushed myself to carry a full load, because I very much wanted to be DONE.

I remember falling asleep with my face in a book many nights, awakening at 3 AM to resume my studying for a couple of hours before going back to sleep. One semester I had a 7 AM class, so there was little time to sleep. It was the last thing on my "to do" list. I mention this because during that final year in college I suffered a nervous breakdown, which included crying uncontrollably all the way home from class most Fridays. I pretty much collapsed all day Saturday, then started up on Sunday completing homework assignments and studying for tests. Oh, and doing laundry, cleaning my home, and spending time with Joe. Despite the stress, I did well, graduating with honors, but I cannot remember much of what I learned that last semester in 1977.

I made it through, but it could have been deadly. People who don't get the proper rest have more accidents. Here's an article that supports that statement. Not to mention the health risks!

During my teaching career, resting for me was still doing. And when George and I moved to Redding, resting became working in the garden. This was actually fun. I think I was approaching the true meaning of REST. The whole yard was my garden. Irises bloomed in the Spring, and roses bloomed all Summer. It was quiet, I could think. I had many interesting conversations with the Lord. I came to realize why He originally put us in a garden.

But was I taking a Sabbath rest?

The Hebrew word for rest is shâbath: to repose, that is, desist from exertion; (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away. My emphasis on celebrate. Now that's a concept I could really buy into.

The Sabbath, as proscribed by God was a specific day of rest, a holy day upon which no work would be done. It comes from the word shabbâth which means, intermission.

Basically I hear God saying, Take a break from what you do every day, take a rest, make the day holy, spend time with Me and reflect. Celebrate what I have done for you.

According to the Family & Children's Center in Wisconsi, "By giving yourself an opportunity to review progress, celebrations cause you to linger on the positive, engendering the sort of gratitude that increases happiness and extends your life." My emphasis again, because gratitude is a powerful state of mind.

Well, look at that. Maybe God is on to something.

Now my resting consists mostly of stretching out on the sofa and watching reruns of CSI. But, if we are made in God's image (and I believe we are) then we, as He did, need to take anapauo. I don't believe God rested because He was tired, but rather to step back and take a look at what He had done. And it was very good. Genesis 1:31

Today, I spend time in the Word, listening and speaking to God, daily. I wish I had begun this discipline earlier in life. My friends Pamela and Lisa have been getting up at dawn for years in order to do this. But I'm finally there. Spending time with the Lord has become fruitful for me. Not simply rushing through my daily scripture reading. Quality time, not just on Sundays. My journal writing reflects this. And I make Sundays special by spending time with my church family, serving, worshiping, celebrating. Plus, there are certain things that I put off doing until Monday.

Pastor Brian finished his message by saying, "It (Sabbath rest) is a reminder that we don't have to work hard for God's love. True rest comes from knowing God loves you."

It took me many years to learn to enjoy resting. Retirement made it possible for me to move in that direction. Please don't wait that long before you learn the freedom of Sabbath. Relax, gentle reader. Be still and know that He is God. Psalm 46:10.

Oh, and it may be belated, but