The title says it all...my question is WHY? I'm on the second week of vacation with my family in Myrtle Beach, having a killer time, but it took me nearly the whole first week to decompress and begin to truly relax. As I ask myself why my mind's button is literally stuck in the "ON" position, why I brought work with me on a trip intended to escape from it temporarily, I'm reminded of Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
I've got issues, I know...that's step one, right? Admitting the problem? :-) Among them is the weakness of my work ethic, but not in the sense that one might assume. Every job I've ever had, from lawn care to janitor to teaching to waiter to construction to milk man to ministry, I have given 100%...and I always will. It's part of my nature, it's the way I was raised, it's the way I believe God intends us to live. My weakness lies not in my labor, but in my rest. I have never prioritized quality, healthy rest the way I should, and I see it more clearly now than ever because it has grown in necessity as my life has grown in complexity. And I think that rest is part of one's work ethic, because it directly affects the capacity and quality of work that one is capable of!
For me, rest is unnatural. Escape is natural, but not rest...and there's a difference. I can watch a good movie and manage to escape reality for a few hours, but I don't necessarily find rest. I can go on a 10-minute motorcycle ride and actually find more rest in it than I do a two-hour nap. The answer is not directly related to gasoline and horsepower, although that never hurts (wink), but rather that every time I get on my motorcycle, I find my mind connecting with God as my senses experience the wonder and beauty of His creation, reminding me (again) of how great He is, and how great He thinks I am because He made all of this for my enjoyment.
"Come to Me...and I will give you rest." Once again, He is the answer...always has been and always will be. It is when I come to Him that I truly find rest for my soul, renewal for my mind, passion in my heart, fuel for my body. I'm committing (again) to come to Him for rest, to do the things that connect me with Him more regularly. I'm reminded of a teaching I once heard about the story of creation, and how "the evening and the morning were the first day" (Gen. 1:5). Notice that the evening is listed FIRST, which represents rest. God set it up for us to operate from a place of rest and restoration, so we should do our part in finding that place every day!
If rest is unnatural for you as it is for me, let's change it! That's not what God intended, and it's not what we should settle for...
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