Rest.

Derrick is practically a robot.

Yes, my dear husband lives in “can’t stop, won’t stop” mode. Just the other day he stated to me that the major reason why he refuses to rest is the fear of stopping all together. He was afraid to rest. My heart was broken for him because in those minutes of listening, I was trying to think of the last time I saw him put his feet up.

I went to bed that night concerned for my husband because we all need rest. The Bible is filled with scripture on the importance of it.

Jeremiah 31: 25 says:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Whew. Ok so our loving creator KNEW the trials we would face and that we would grow weary and He would be ready to renew us.

After Jesus fed the five thousand, he said to his disciples in Mark 6: 31 “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

That is a holy command my friends, not a suggestion.

We live in a culture where we confuse a full schedule with a purposeful life.

I once read a quote that said “You have the same 24 hours in a day that Beyonce does.” Instead of motivating me, it made me feel like crap, ha ha. We do not value rest the was Jesus modeled rest in the Bible.

As I read scripture after scripture, I started seeing many verbs tied into the places where Jesus was telling us to rest by saying “dwell, walk in, lie in, enter, sleep.”

And then it hit me!

To rest does not mean to be come INACTIVE. There is such a thing as purposeful rest.

Purposeful rest brings you to Jesus feet, it restores and replenishes you. Rest in whatever way you personally seek and find Him. For me, it’s this right here. I love to write and journal and put my thoughts to paper. For Jaidyn, it’s sketching. For Derrick, it’s playing basketball or  listening to God’s Word as he cooks. *Insert praise break!*

Stop going towards the massive waves of life, and let the waves carry you to rest. This doesn’t mean you stop your journey, because even Jesus took a nap under a tree, and continued his mission to the cross. Do not be afraid to sit next to Jesus, under that tree, while He fills you up. The same God that renews and restores will be the same God that finishes that good work in you.

XO,

Rosa