Resting Guilty

READ: GENESIS 2:2-3; EXODUS 10:8-10; DEUTERONOMY 5:12-15; HEBREWS 4:9-11

Have you ever felt guilty for resting? I know I have. When my body tells me I need to take a break and slow down, I always try to fight it. This world is fast-paced, and I always feel like I can’t keep up—rest isn’t going to help that, right? Our society values hustle and non-stop work. We’ve all but forgotten rest. But God hasn’t.

The Bible talks about rest—and how important it is—many times. One of the first times is in Genesis 2:2-3, when God took the seventh day to rest after creating the world. What if we all took off one day a week to rest? A while ago, I would have said, “How am I supposed to get ahead if I spend an entire day resting? There are only so many hours in a day, and school takes a lot of them.”

But then I realized something important: I wasn’t relying on God. I was doubting Him, going against what He said about rest, and doing my own thing. If God told me to rest, wouldn’t He provide for me using the other six days of the week?

I still feel guilty when I rest, but I try to remind myself that God rested and He told us to rest. Through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, He has already made the way to save us from sin and death, including the sin of self-reliance and overwork. And He is always with us through the Holy Spirit, reminding us of His gentle, loving care for us. He will provide for us, and as we rest in that truth, we can be good stewards of everything He has given us, including our bodies, our health, and our time. • Kimberly Brokish

• In Deuteronomy 5:15, God says to His people, “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.” In this way, God is reminding them that they are no longer slaves, and He is not like the slave-driving Pharaoh. Instead of piling harsh commands and tasks onto His people, He invites them into His rest. What are some ways you could incorporate this kind of rest into your weekly routines?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)