The Rest of God

I read a great book last month, called THE REST OF GOD, by Mark Buchanon. A friend suggested that I would enjoy it, so I read it while sitting in the spring sunshine. It was exactly what this tired heart needed to read. A call to honor the Sabbath, and a reminder of the many blessings the Sabbath brings to us. NOT a call to be lazy or slack off. But a call to intentionally set aside a day each week to rest, enjoy and refresh our mind, bodies and spirits. It wasn't preachy, it was just a breath of fresh air. Here's what the website says about the book:

Most of us feel utterly ransacked: we're waylaid by endless demands and stifling routines. Even our vacations have a panicky, task-like edge to them. "If I only had more time," is the mantra of our age. But is this the real problem?

Widely acclaimed author Mark Buchanan states that what we've really lost is "the rest of God-the rest God bestows and, with it, that part of himself we can know only through stillness." Stillness as a virtue is a foreign concept in our society, but there is wisdom in God's own rhythm of work and rest. Sabbath is elixir and antidote. It is a gift for our sanity and wholeness–to prolong our lives, to enrich our relationships, to increase our fruitfulness, to make our joy complete. Jesus practiced Sabbath among those who had turned it into a dismal thing, a day for murmuring and finger-wagging, and he reminded them of the day's true purpose: liberation-to heal, to feed, to rescue, to celebrate, to lavish and relish life abundant.

One month after reading it, I've fallen back into patterns of frenzy instead of rest. Why do I do this? So today is a reminder to myself to let life go at a slower pace, to stop and smell the daisies, to sit down and laugh with my children, and to read a little bit of brain candy (fun-loving books) before bed. I'm most certain that rest will make me a better woman, a better wife, a better mommy, a better writer, and a better friend.