Taking A Day Off From My Life

I just have a question for you.

When was the last time that you took a day off from your life?

I’m talking about a day off from all the “have to do’s,” “need to do’s,” and all the “really should do’s” that consume each one of us and make us forget that what we “have to do, need to do, and really should do” is take a day off from our life every so often, so that we are able to deal more effectively with all those many “things” in our lives that demand our attention.

In Genesis, the Bible gives us a clear example of the key role that rest should play in our lives, when it declares that God, Himself, rested on the seventh day from all that He had done to create the heavens and the earth.

And was it because He was tired? I don’t think so!

After all, the Bible also tells us in Isaiah 40:28 (NKJ), that the “everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.” No, I believe He rested to give us an example of how we need to rest, because unlike Him, we get tired!

It is also abundantly clear in the New Testament scriptures that Jesus followed the Father’s example, and took time to rest.

So that became my plan for today: To take a day off from my life.

I say that it became my plan because it didn’t start out that way.

I awoke this morning still carrying a burden of a multitude of worries and anxieties that had plagued me for most all of the workweek. Concerns about my personal life, my job, my future--both things that are within my ability to affect and things outside of my ability to control--weighed on me and frustrated me. I hadn’t really been very successful at allowing God to carry them for me.

I had gotten up and set about doing some things that I knew I “needed” to do, when I got a call from my brother. After “venting” some of my frustration on him, I made the decision to take my day in a different direction--one that could produce some positive results.

I put all those “things” on hold and set out on a course that would hopefully leave me rested and ready for my week ahead.

After pulling together some necessities for the day ahead that included my swimsuit, my MP3 player, some sunscreen, and a good, uplifting book to read, I headed for the pool at my apartment complex.

And so began a full day of peaceful rest, swimming, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the soft breezes, listening to uplifting worship music, and reading. I was soon absorbed in the book that I was reading--so much so that I finished the entire book, only then to realize that despite the sunscreen, I had slightly overexposed myself to the sun!

There are a lot of things that didn’t get done today, but I feel very good about how I spent the day, and how much more rested I feel.

Today was just a reminder to me, that while it is important to work, and to do so diligently, it is just as important to rest from that work, and give God a chance to speak to your heart.

And what about those things that were weighing on me and frustrating me earlier?

He's carrying those for me now.

So I hope that you, too, can make some time to rest, so that when you work, your work will be a nice reflection of your best efforts and not of your lack of adequate rest.