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Rest? What's That?

In my dreams, the perfect day would consist of a cozy bed, comfortable pajamas, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that needs to be done. Just hours upon hours of sleep and rest.

This is probably because my life consists of almost constant activity. From the time the alarm sounds to the time I shut my eyes at night, it is GO GO GO, all the live-long day. A steady stream of jobs, errands, chores, conversations, problems, dishes, laundry, shopping, accounting, filing, homework, cooking, cleaning, typing, researching, conflict solving. (Can I get an AMEN?!?!)

And yet, for the past several months, in the middle of my busyness, I could feel a divine shoulder-tap. A heavenly whisper. It was saying just one word.

REST.

And my ever-spiritual response to God was, "Say what?"

Rest? Are you kidding me? Who has time for that?

His voice was persistent. It resounded through my chaos. It echoed in my heart when I was running around like crazy. It confronted me when I was so tired I thought I would collapse. It nudged me when I got sick from too much work with too little sleep.

REST.

His voice followed me to Ecuador last month while I was vacationing with my family. His voice found me in the car in Riobamba, listening to a sermon on the radio, as the preacher quoted Matthew 11:28. I knew just enough Spanish to know that God was talking to ME.

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you REST."

Ecuador's culture includes rest. Not only a daily siesta time, but a pervasive concept of resting that affects how people plan, how they communicate, even how they work. Rest is important. It is valued. Hectic multitasking isn't appreciated as a skill in Ecuador. It is looked down upon as the action of an anxious person who doesn't enjoy life. And I think they may be on to something.

(I can't even COUNT how many times someone turned to me in Ecuador and said, "Tranquila, Cory." It was their super-nice way of saying CHILL OUT, GIRL. How embarrassing. I was on VACATION and I had to be told to relax.)

So I've been doing some research and I've discovered that rest is pretty important to God. It is mentioned HUNDREDS of times in the Bible. And yet rest is almost NO part of my life. And it's not just my life. Rest is almost non-existant in the lives of MOST of the women I know. It's important to God, and it's not important to us. Something seems wrong here.

Even worse, to be painfully honest, is that I've been guilty of judging people who DO have rest in their lives. I've taken great pride in my busy life, my demanding schedule. I've gathered my value from my achievements and accomplishments. I've allowed my to-do list to define me. I've measured my crazy life against other people's and looked down on those who have less to do.

Oh Father, forgive me.

I don't have all the answers yet, but I am on a journey towards understanding rest. God promises that He has rest for me, for all of us. I want to live in that rest. I want to know it in my heart and in my spirit.
Don't you?

I'll be blogging more to come about my discoveries concerning rest. And I'd love to hear from you as I move forward. Have you found a place of rest in your life? Have you found ways to combat busyness? Are you also guilty of judging other people who have less to do? I want to hear how my sisters are doing in terms of rest. Please comment and let me know.

Meet    
    Cory

Messy Hospitality
Hit the Ground... Waltzing
Where Have I Been? (Living Without Hope)
Confessions of an Imperfect Christian Mom
He Was With Me

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