Whole 30: Day 7 – Resting from the Normal Routine
Rest is key to our holistic health. I’m not just talking about sleeping, but about resting.
One definition of rest found online says that to rest is to “cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” In today’s society, rest is preached yet sometimes not practiced. We spend hours trying to fit everything into our schedules and to be as efficiently as possible.
I myself am guilty of this far too often. I dislike wasting time and embrace using every second possible to get something I need to get done. Yet over the years and especially the last few months, I’ve seen how important rest is to my overall well-being. When I choose to cease from labor/movement in order to just relax physically and mentally, I am not only in a better mood, but I feel able to face the tasks before me the next day.
In the Old Testament, God actually ordained the Hebrews back in the day and called this day the “Sabbath.” It was a day where literally, His people weren’t supposed to cook, clean, or do any sort of labor but just rest. God commanded this to not only allow His people to be restored mentally and physically, but to also show them what it meant to rely fully on Him.
See, the Hebrews had been in slavery for years and were used to working to the point of exhaustion all day, every day in order to fulfill their masters’ wishes and provide for their families. When God rescued His people from slavery, his desire was to see them establish rhythms of work and rest and to also see that even though they were taking a day off from working, He would provide for all of their needs. Although Jesus doesn’t require Christians to keep a Sabbath in the New Testament, He does teach and advise on the importance of rest and relying on Him for our every need.
With all that being said, today I rested. I chose to abstain from career work and physical work to go to spend time with my community at church, relax at home with my husband, and about to go visit my family. Because of this rest, I know that tomorrow not only will I be physically restored, but also be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually ready to face another week with joy, grace, and expectation.
So my friends, if you haven’t established a day or a set period of time where you too can rest and break from your normal activities, I strongly encourage you to do so. There is always work to do, but there won’t always be moments to rest.
So rest, my friend, rest.
