Rest = Release, Readjust and Receive

 The school year is about to start and with it, millions of teachers all around the United States are letting out a groan. We look back at the fleeting memories of our summer break and we wonder, where did the time go?  I love being in the classroom...but it is exhausting.  Regardless of what some may say, teachers DO need the break.  Otherwise, retirement age for educators would be 35 years old.  I know I would never make it to 60+ if I didn't have my summer break.  

The thing is that work never ends when school is in session.  It follows us wherever we go, 24/7.  Anyway, sorry for the whine...maybe I should just have some cheese and crackers too. 

At any rate, all this whimpering about the end of summer break and the beginning of the school year (boo hoo) brought me back to the second to last chapter in Jamie Erickson's book Holy Hygge.  This chapter is on the topic of rest.  And I love it!

I've always felt guilty whenever I rest.  There is so much to do...how can I pause and rest? (including during summer break). I agree with the author when she writes:  "as women, we live hurried lives.  Our days are long, and our to-do lists are even longer.  We often feel tossed into the deep end, and we never seem to have enough time or energy to come up for air.  Our physical and mental busyness has spiritual repercussions.  We're asphyxiating our souls." (p. 175)  WOW! Regardless of our occupations, teachers, business people, healthcare personnel, homemakers, entrepreneurs, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, single, married, divorced, in-between, women in general, all women I believe suffer from permanent exhaustion.  And I believe most of it is caused by us thinking we just can't rest.

There's a 2011 movie called I Don't Know How She Does It, with Sarah Jessica Parker which touches on this subject.  One of my favorite scenes is when she is lying in bed awake thinking about a study that found out that 60 some percent of women with young children don't sleep through the night, and that they are puzzled about what causes it.  She says something like, "well they could've asked me...it's the list."  Then she goes onto the endless litany of things that are in her list.  I don't think it is only women with young children who can't sleep through the night.  I think most women are plagued by this ailment.  

It is not only the to-do list.  In my case it is the combination of the "to-do" and the "to-worry-about" lists which keep me awake at night.  And...the thing is, my biggest source of fatigue and over-weariness is my lack of faith.  I discovered this truth when I read Erickson's words on pages 177-178, "just as the wandering Israelites had to trust God to keep the double portion of manna fresh on the Sabbath, you must have faith in God's ability to sustain you by obediently forfeiting your labor for a time.  When you intentionally set aside a portion of your week to ignore the urgent emails, let the dishes pile up in the sink, and disregard that time-consuming errand, you're not being lazy.  You're confidently placing the tasks of tomorrow into God's hands and confessing that His grace is sufficient for today...Sabbath rest is a tithe of time allowing you to release the burden of a completed to-do list to God and receive the gift of His favor for your obedience."

To rest doesn't mean we don't care.  We still care for our loved ones who need us, but with a trusting attitude, "releasing our congested schedule to Him." The act of faith involves "releasing and receiving." And I would add also, readjusting.  We release our calendars/agendas/lists/fears/worries and receive His peace as we readjust the way we live the other six days of the week...the way we say yes and no to new commitments...the way we carve out time for praise and worship every day...the way we listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit...the way we trust that He is with us, and that we are not alone.

I could just keep quoting things from this chapter on rest.  It's all so good and so relevant, but that's not my intention here.  My goal is to actually remind myself that I need to keep the commandment and have a holy rest.  The enemy is the one making me think I cannot do it.  My lack of faith is causing me to believe his lies.  Pausing is not a sin.  It is part of the promise of an abundant life.  It is part of the promise of freedom.

The school year will begin, and the work will pile up, but I will keep this chapter handy whenever I feel myself being crushed under the stress of an all-consuming work, praying my faith will increase and I can release, readjust and receive for a more balanced state of mind...and less groaning and whining from my end. 

May the Holy Spirit help us to keep the Sabbath Holy with the realization that it is for freedom that Christ has made us free.  Amen.