How many of you can think of a time where you were worn out, tired or just out of energy? I’m guessing that we are all raising our hands. We are just busy people these days. With everyone’s schedules even more packed than ever, how can we give God our best and make time to answer His call? The first thing I remember is the fact that God never asks too much of us; the other thing I consider is that God gave us a great work plan and a great rest plan. When God created the heavens and the earth, He took time to rest on the seventh day. We are given this same opportunity to honor God on that seventh day.
photo credit: flickr user: kewl
So I’m on this “rest” bandwagon because this month I returned from vacation time realizing how important taking time to rest is. I gave myself a goal to walk each day a certain amount of miles, regardless of if my face was frozen to my jacket or not. During that quiet time of walking I was able to spend time with God. My mind was open and willing to hear what God had to say. This was great, because other times of prayer when I’m home get cut short because of things on my schedule or other plans, so instead of finding myself listening to God, I’m doing all of the talking. The same thing can happen with my schedule; by the time I hear God asking to be a part of my day, week, or month, I’ve already filled it up.
How are you resting?
How are you resting? Now don’t confuse me with encouraging laziness or not showing up for work or becoming antisocial because you’re out walking trying to hear God, but really, how are you resting? When an athlete is training, they push hard during their workout, but take time to rest their muscles. This time of rest is actually when the muscles grow and get stronger. The workout is actually breaking down the muscles so that during the time of rest they can recover, and through that recovery, they build back to being stronger. I believe God can do the same for our spiritual life.
We need to give God adequate time
It is so important for us to let God speak to us through the rest. When we have just worked hard and pushed ourselves through many areas, we need to give God adequate time to rebuild us and make us stronger. It can be easy to overcommit, or sacrifice family time for our career. What is God calling you to do?
Do you need more rest? Are you letting God speak to you through that rest and build you up? Try this week to spend time quiet with the Lord, speaking less and listening more. You may need to go on a walk for this to remove the distractions of your house or your phone. Don’t forget that God will never ask too much of you.
Blessings,
Chris
This article originally appeared in the February 2014 edition of the FBC newsletter. Click here to view the rest of this newsletter.