Skip to main content

Rest For The Disengaged ~ Just One 7


Rest for the weary.  Have you noticed that weariness tends not to come from physical exertion?  I can mow and play in the dirt for hours and feel great, while 30 minutes of working on my "To Do List" leaves me weary.

Have we so tried to have it all that we are actually having less and less? Pushing for more and more leaves us disengaged, exhausted, worn out and sick.  
Our culture and its people in it are not well.  

Our kids are bombarded with technology for 90% of their day.  They worry more about the score on a test then the character of their hearts.   Pressure from every direction leaves them feeling squeezed in a vice grip.  Pushed and pulled and worn thin.  Little ones are begging for attention from worn out adults between phone calls in the car while on the run.

Yes, short term sacrifices are required to move forward in our goals.  However, if the pace we run our life is  24/7, then will we run away from the goals and the relationships that we once had?

What about just one 7?  Just one 24 hour day could be set aside for rest, for us and for our families. A rest carved out of the insanity we live in.

It isn't just going to happen and it obviously won't be easy.  Driving 80 miles an hour and hitting a wall isn't a good thing.  

So how can we, especially as the women of the house, intentionally design a day that God intended?

What would it look like? Feel like?

What types of activities or routines could we put in place to "downshift our lives" toward a day of rest and worship?
How can we find something that will become the trigger for a slow down(Like the trigger we have for waking up?)

A certain meal?  A certain way?  A place?  A time?

What do we do already that could be expanded on?  
How can we integrate rest and worship into the routines we have now?

Can technology or our calendars and to do list actually be used for this purpose?

One example from our family is the "no radio, computer or tv" on Sunday mornings before church.  It was one of those things that I didn't give on. 

 However, we can't expect our families to just sit patiently and have to learn to interact without noise on the fly.  Talk about a wall.

 We also tried to have a slower pace on Saturday night and get to bed at a decent time.  A shifting.

I've lost some ground in this area and need to capture it again. 

Something has to give.  I think it has to be us.



“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” —Ephesians 5:15–17

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Starting a Journey

September 3, 2010 Originally posted How to Begin a Journey 1. Pick a destination or simply start. 2. Plan a detailed itinerary or just take the first step. 3. Pack everything or travel lightly. I am choosing to just begin. To leave behind the baggage, pick up a day pack, and go. Several nights before we moved to Ogallala, I was praying about the transition when I heard that still, small voice of God. In that moment, I knew He heard my Heart's Cry. He hears every whispered plea, every unspoken longing. If I truly sit with that truth, it humbles me. What courage, boldness, passion, and decisiveness I have when I remember: He never leaves or forsakes me. He provides for my every need according to His riches in glory. My hope is to encourage you He hears your Heart's Cry too.

Picking up Rocks and Riding in Boats

I took a walk with a three year old young man today.   His mama was frazzled and he was bored.  "Grab your shoes," I told him.  He ran to his Mom to get his shoes on and ran to the door.  After fixing the shoestrings and the coat was on the way he wanted and I showed him the edge of the sidewalk and where we would walk...we were off. A dried piece of weed draped across an edge of the sidewalk, and I bent down to check it out.  He followed my lead and bent in half beside me.  I broke a piece off and gave him half and continued on our way.  Have you ever took a walk with a toddler?  And looked at things the way they do?  The broken sticks in the gutter, the ice and the small patch of snowing clinging to life are all gold to these little explorers.   A little encouragement is all they need to sift for treasure along the way. A smooth stone sat contentedly on the driveway of a house.  I stopped to admire...

Hurry. Time is Running Out...

Hurry.  Time is running out . 6.5 hours left of 12/10/2012. 4 days le ft until the weekend. 15 days left until Christmas.   21 day s until we fall over the fiscal cliff & financial Armageddon.   Time is running out. Time to make a difference. Time to count. Time to make moments matter. Time to make my life matter.     Time is running out. Time to tell my family that I love them. Time to breathe. Time to love. Time to heal. Time to restore. Time IS RUNNING OUT. BUT it is all the time I have. IT IS All the time I need.  Time to Praise. Time to Pray. Time to smile. Time to listen. Time to be.   Time is running out . Today I will take the time to love. Time to tell others about the hope I have in Jesus! Today I have the time t o listen to God. Time to reach.  Time to teach.  Time to lead.   Time to make a change. Time is running out. ...