Sabbath, Living From RestSample

Activities of Rest

There are aspects of God’s nature and our identity in Him that can only be understood from rest. But is rest attainable? Is it practical? Is it wasteful? In the remainder of our days together in this Bible plan, I would like to highlight the joys of a formal, weekly day of rest; daily rest; spontaneous rest; seasons of rest; and finally, a lifestyle of rest.

Weekly Rest

In days one through three of this plan, I shared the biblical mandate for rest. As we accept God’s exquisite invitation to rest in Him, life flows into a delightful rhythm of meaningful work, preparation to rest, and the celebration of rest.

Work is weighty and far-reaching. God multiples our work to His glory and blesses His people through us. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and author.  My days are immersed in responsibilities that I enjoy (Ha! —most of the time).

Preparation to rest is the liaison between work and rest. I have to clear my schedule, prepare my space—I may even work ahead a bit to make rest possible. I plan time to enjoy family and friends. I make accessible the lifegiving activities of my day of rest—For me that means a worshipful music playlist, wisdom-packed books, beautiful paper, watercolors, and something dark chocolate. I think preparation was the missing step when years ago I tried to lead my family into weekly rest and failed.

At last, we enter the celebration of rest. My day of appointed rest often includes enjoying the Lord in tandem with watching the stars come out, doing a creative art project, taking a long stroll, laughing, rocking on the front porch, having a meaningful conversation, eating something delicious, or relishing a quiet stretch of reflection or wonder.

Though Sabbath rest has commonalities, each of us will celebrate it uniquely: you and your family may love being immersed in God’s good earth, baking, woodcrafts, games and puzzles, sailing, biking, fishing, napping, reading aloud …… the expressions of rest are endless. That’s because each of us responds to the Lord as the individuals He uniquely created from His imagination, one in whom He finds delight. Sabbath is a gift. And it’s never far away!

You may be wondering: What happens when our day of rest seems to be a failure? What if there are interruptions or conflicts? What about the precious needs of others? Yes, “suddenlies” come, but I try not to allow these occasional detours or bumps remove my joy in the Lord of the Sabbath. When life happens, I try to respond from an attitude or position of rest in Him. Then I simply try again next week.