Rest. What a wonderful word. My soul longs for deep rest. The kind of rest that allows my mind to settle, my eyes to open, my body to still, and laughter to come easily. The kind of rest where I remember that I am not holding the world together. The kind of rest where I remember the things that brought me joy when I was six. The kind of rest where I remember that I am deeply, unconditionally, forever loved and that nothing will separate me from this love.
But I ignore all calls my body, soul, and mind make to get me to stop, breathe, and delight. Somehow despite my longing for rest, I decide to worry, scroll through high-school friends’ Facebook posts, and be “productive.” What is this resistance to rest? Do you suffer from this same resistance? Is it fear? Lack of practice? Pride?
I’m so excited about the next three Sundays as we learn about and practice Sabbath. As I have been reading and practicing in preparation, I came across the following beautiful passage in a book by Wayne Muller called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives:
If we forget to rest we will work too hard and forget our more tender mercies, forget those we love, forget our children and our natural wonder. God says: Please don’t. It is a waste of a tremendous gift I have given you. If you knew the value of your life, you would not waste a single breath. So I give you this commandment: Remember to rest. This is not a life-style suggestion, but a commandment – as important as not stealing, not murdering, or not lying. Remember to play and bless and make love and eat with those you love, and take comfort, easy and long, in this gift of sacred rest.
May we learn the gift of sacred rest.
Grace and blessings,
Kellye