Rest

Today at Bible study we were talking about a passage in Exodus where God tells Moses that the Sabbath day – a day of rest – is a gift from Him.

For some reason I found that powerful. Here He has already given us life, every breath we take, a colourful and amazing world in which to live, and the lavishness of his gifts extends to the detail that He knows better than any of us seem to – we are hard-wired to require regular rest. 

Rest may not mean just sitting around and reading or watching telly. It means different things for different people. The physio in our midst mentioned how healthy active exercise is for the neuro-physiology of our brains...how it makes us feel better emotionally, refreshes us and is just plain good for us. It can be understood as ‘rest’ too.

Sometimes, when we are anxious or upset, active exercise refreshes our minds precisely because it gives us a ‘rest’ from going round and round about whatever it is that is bothering us. 

I do love the way God has created us to do good works, but his gift to us is a regular time of rest, to recharge our batteries and refresh our souls. One of the most fulfilling ways I know to rest is to sit with my Bible, maybe a printed prayer or poem, and a notebook, and do some talking but mainly just to listen. To listen to the rhythm of my breath and remember who has given it to me; to turn over a chunk of Scripture in my mind, or on my lips, until I’ve sucked all the sweetness from it and really understand it in a newer, deeper way. I don’t do it often enough, and I know I would benefit from regular periods of that kind of rest.

God bless me with the self-discipline to accept, and unwrap, your gift of rest today.