The Power of Rest

So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing,  and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.

─ Genesis 2:2-3 TLB

Collin shut the back of the moving truck down with a little more force than he meant to and then walked into the house. He scanned the living room, dining room and kitchen. Boxes were everywhere … so much to do after moving cross country the past three days. He felt undue pressure to get everything done now. His body and mind both asked for a hard stop!

His sweet wife, Ellie smiled as she crossed the room with cold bottles of ice water. “Let’s sit down for a bit and rest,” she said. “We’ve done enough for today. We can unpack and take the truck back to the rental place tomorrow.”

We all have seasons in our lives when we push ourselves really hard to accomplish something we want or something that just has to be done. In our verses today, God provided a very practical example for us to follow. God rested from all of His work on the seventh day. He reviewed what He accomplished and declared His own work good.

God values rest and set it as a priority for us. Don’t be misled by thinking you don’t need to take time for your body to repair, renew and restore itself during sleep and simple moments of stillness. In addition to physical rest, you need mental, emotional, social and spiritual rest.

Today’s One Thing

Pause for a moment right now and think back to the last time you rested.

Answer these questions:

• When was the last time you slept really well?
• Do you take breaks throughout the day to give your body, mind and spirit rest?
• When was the last time you focused on filling your spirit in quiet time with God?

Pray about the thoughts that come to mind and ask God to show you what kind of rest is most needed in your life today. Make it a priority for yourself starting today.

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