Daily Journal: 19 December

Remember to Rest

Rest is something the bible speaks about a fair bit - always in communion with God.

Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalm 62:1 (NLV)

My soul is quiet and waits for God alone. He is the One Who saves me.

Hebrews 4:9-10 (NASB)

Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, came up with seven categories of rest. We often think rest is just lying down and taking time out, disconnecting, or sleeping. But these seven types of rest are important reminders that both passive rest and active rest in different capacities lead to the sort of restoration our body, soul and spirit need. They’re especially important to focus on if we’re suffering from burn-out or feeling like we’re knocking up against it’s walls.

These seven types of rest are physical, mental, social, sensory, spiritual, emotional, and creative.

As I think about how God has made us so beautifully and wonderfully, wiring our elements together to be connected, that if one is not firing properly it will affect others. For instance, if our sensory stimulation is overwhelmed it may also, automatically, trip our social, emotional, mental, or creative capacities as well. If so, over a period of sustained pressure, we can become unwell.

As we are first spiritual beings, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), it pays to remember to rest in the Lord first, as a foundational rebound toward every passive or active measure we take for rest. When we bring God into every element of rest, we can function from a more sensitive and intuitive level, bringing ever deeper restoration.

Isaiah 40:31 (CEV)

But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.