Rest--He Knows What Is Best

Two Sundays ago, after we got home from church, my husband gathered the boys and headed out front to wash the cars. While they were doing that, I grew frustrated and felt restless. I kept thinking about how I just wanted to sit and relax and hang out as a family. I felt guilty though. I felt like I needed to be working on some chore, too, since they were laboring out front.

Over the years we have generally done all our chores, as a family, on Saturdays--these chores include cleaning, yard work, and grocery shopping. We have a pretty efficient routine--we make a list, and as each person finishes one of the chores, it gets crossed off the list. Up until the end of May, both of us worked full time, and we wanted the boys to partake in the chores, so this routine worked. Now, even though I am at home, we still seem to get the majority of our chores done on Saturdays.

Sundays, however, have been set aside for our "day of rest"--a day where we can worship at church and mentally and physically wind down at home from our day-to-day work and busyness. My husband and I agreed to this as we knew that God makes it clear in His word.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Genesis 2:2

There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD. Leviticus 23:3

The fourth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 states:

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in the six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

So, after about 90 minutes of keeping myself busy while they finished washing the cars, they finally came inside. My oldest son was especially grumpy--Sundays are his one day he does not have sports, school work or chores. It is his day to rest and boy does he need it.

I was feeling grumpy, too, so I spoke privately to my husband and explained my frustration. While he understood and was sympathetic, he explained that he struggled to sit still and just wanted to get stuff done. I knew what he meant; he has always been a list maker and a get it done kind of guy. It is a great quality. But, I also know that Satan tempts us in all kinds of ways, even ways that don't seem evil.

So, I pointed out to my husband that perhaps Satan was tempting him to be busy rather than relax and recuperate. He is overworked right now and needs downtime. It was like a lightbulb went on for him. And, just as I said it, it was so clear to me, too.

When we are not well rested, we are vulnerable and opening the door to temptation. When we make ourselves busy, we miss out on what truly matters and can lose our focus. We miss out on being still…

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

In this busy world we live in, with so many distractions and temptations, it is even more important that we live by God's word and take a day to rest. He knows what is best for us.