Rest

I wrote this post while on my vacation last week.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

In April, when I looked at my calendar for the summer, I was excited for three trips in June, and a trip in August. July looked like it was going to be pretty mundane. I was thankful though that I would have time to work and take care of things at home and I would be thankful for the fun I had in June and my upcoming trip in August. As I reflect back on July though, it was anything other than mundane. I’m exhausted. I got a lot less sleep than normal. I was working tons and I also had all of the added stuff to do that go along with making a land purchase. All of this was filled with excitement. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed it all, but I am exhausted. I often live my life in chunks of time and think “if I can just get through this month, season, whatever time frame, then things will be back to normal.” I think I have finally realized that normal isn’t going to happen. Every season of life has its crazy, busy parts. More importantly, I don’t like normal! I like that my weeks all look different. I like meeting new people, hanging out with friends, and connecting people. I like to stop what I’m doing to help someone else. I thrive on that. So, I’m working to rebuild my schedule so that each week I have time for all of these things and can still accomplish all that I need to do for work and ministry. The one thing that has been consistent for me is time with the Lord. That’s not hard for me. I crave more and more of Jesus. Rest is hard for me though. There is so much to do. Sometimes the stuff that I do is work, sometimes it fun, but I can’t do any of it while I sleep. So, rest isn’t something I seek out. But, I’m learning that I have to seek that out. I have to plan times to rest. I have to make room for that daily, and I have to have a sabbath. I love to go on a vacation and I will rest while on vacation. What I struggle with is getting rest while I’m at home. So I’m gone for a time to rest and relax, and then when I get home I’m starting a new schedule that purposely plans sleep and rest each week. Hebrews 4 speaks to the rest that we are created for and that in our obedience to the Lord we find rest. The Israelites were delayed in their journey to rest in the promised land because they weren’t obedient. Israel experienced rest when they followed the Lord and had leaders who were obedient. At the end of Hebrews 4, we are instructed to approach the throne of grace in confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our need. So my prayer is that I will approach the Lord with confidence to ask what He would have me do and what He would have me turn down so that I can both do the work that He has called me to do and also rest.