Rest...

I hardly ever take naps during the day... tired as I might be, I usually never give into a nap - however, this Sunday after church I did just that and I must say it felt good. It feels good to just rest physically... even more so to rest emotionally and spiritually. To exchange our burdens for Christ's yoke that is easy... it's refreshing. And I don't know about you, but I need refreshment, daily. There's a rest that only Christ can give...and only by ceasing our striving can we truly embrace that rest. I don't know if I'm completely on board to this napping thing, but it sure was nice on Sunday.

I heard on the news this morning that napping during the afternoon can clear your short term memory and make you sharper for the rest of your day. Maybe my boss will buy-in to this... it sure did make things better in Kindergarten. I'm sure I'll be bringing my pillow any day now - lol.

When it comes to the nap... my wife is one of the best I know... and in so many ways, I celebrate that in her. We've never had something pressing going on and she chosen a nap over getting things handled, but she's very good at embracing rest over mere busyness. I'm not the best at this and I often think that I miss out on that personal rest, that Sabbath, that God provides to each of us in Christ. He's got the whole world in His hands... he's got it all in control, and because of that, I can nap - I truly can just rest a while. God is big enough for me to take a break. That's refreshing to know and even more so to embrace each day. I've got a long ways to go in this area, but I'm learning. I've learned a great deal about rest and about Sabbath from a book called "The Rest of God" written by Mark Buchanan. It's a great book, much like everything else Mark writes... and it was a real eye opener to the reason we should rest and the provision that God provides in our resting in Him. The "rest" of God... is not only a stopping (a rest), but it's also the things we can't learn about God except through rest... "the rest" of the story so to speak. I often think that if God could create Eve while Adam was taking a little nap, what could He create from me while I'm doing the same... I know that might be a stretch... but there's definately a part of God we miss out on  in all our busyness.

Jacqueline and I had a good weekend this weekend - I got the taxes filed and Uncle Sam payed, we had some Dunkin Donuts (a real treat for us), she finished up a pillow (just needs to be stuffed) for our good friend Jacque, watched some Olympics (Jacqueline didn't quite make it through Saturday night's viewing), went for a run on the Monon - the longest run we've even been on (8 miles in 1:07:30), went to church, visited and had birthday cake at Ben and Jacque's, caught up with some family over the phone, wrote some cards, napped, and watched the Disney movie "Up" (it was a moving movie to be considered just a children's film). It was a lot of fun, as always, just being with the wife... I can't wait to do it again.

Try to get some rest this week... it's good for the soul.

"'Don't you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?"

     - Psalm 127:2