In a 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Ferris says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Summer is waning, the school year is moving forward and before long we will plan holiday festivities and celebrate a new year. Life moves pretty fast and we must recoup the benefits of intentional resting.
We can look forward to a day off or a few extra hours of sleep, but unless we guard that time and actually rest, chances are we may squander it.
When I consider the Army Performance Triad – sleep, activity and nutrition – most of us usually perform well in the nutrition part. I mean, we all love to eat and make plenty of time for doing so. Army life pretty much forces the activity part. Let’s face it, we’re training hard.
However, sleep, or rest, often suffers. In Genesis 2:3, the story of Creation, we can read that God rested – ceased – from working on the seventh day, blessed the day, and made it holy. He did not need the rest for recuperation. After all, he is God. Rather, he established a pattern for removing oneself from the grind of constant work.
Although we have a five-day work week, we often pack our weekends to the point they are gone in a wink and we are faced with yet another Monday morning – we have not rested one bit. Perhaps God intended something a little different.
Weekends are a glorious time for sharing life with Family and friends, but in the middle of sharing life, make time to be still. Make time to sort out the joys and sorrows we all experience. Make time to clear your mind by enjoying a hobby, be silent for a moment or just go to bed a little earlier. Make it a habit. Make it holy.
Yes, I said “holy,” but not in a mystical sense.
The biblical use of the word often means to set apart for a special purpose. Intentional rest is the special purpose of this holy time. Guard your time away from work while you rest, sleep, recharge, and recuperate. Just like healthy nutrition and positive activity, make time for intentional rest.