Looking Up – The Hard Work of Rest
Dear Hope Church,
We head to the beach Sunday and I’m really looking forward to a week with extended family. I realize what a luxury it is. And yet, it’s also a lot of work. It’s hard work to rest. This made me think about the Sabbath and how hard it is to make space in my week to rest. It takes planning ahead, committing to that rest, communicating that rest to others who may need you during that time and asking them to join you in that commitment to Sabbath rest. But God made us for rest and gave his people the Sabbath as a reminder that everything they have comes from His hand, not from their hustling. When we practice Sabbath rest, we practice being like God, resting from our work. And we do it by resting in Him.
On this side of the cross, rest is much more than simply ceasing all “doing.” Yet, we are still invited into God’s rest, now as we live and work and in the future when we are called home to an eternal rest (Hebrews 4:9-11). Rest is still written into our design as image bearers and should be written into our calendars as well. This “rest” should be an intentional stepping away from our typical rhythms and need for productivity. It might look like an afternoon nap, a few hours on the pickleball courts with friends, taking someone a meal, or asking your husband to watch the toddlers so you can hold a baby and listen to some worship music in peace. “…[O]ur weekly rest isn’t about tightly kept boundaries, it’s about delighting and finding our joy in the Lord” (Laura Wifler). What keeps you from resting? Have you communicated your rhythm of rest to others who may need you so they can help you guard it? Rest is worth working hard to do.
Want to help the staff rest? You can find each of our typical Sabbaths on our profiles here.
Blessings,
Sarah Beam
