Open Myself to God - Rest

     As Americans I think it's really hard to come to grips with this idea called "rest".  We live in a society where working as much as you can and making as much as you can is the norm.  It is almost expected of you if you're going to live in this country.  This "American Dream" that we have created makes "rest" seem like a foreign concept.  Our culture tells us that to be successful, we need to work to the point of sleep deprivation and sheer exhaustion.  But the problem is, workaholism affects your physical health, your relationships, and your mental capacity.  God created us to rest.

     "Clearly we were not made to work 24/7.  We have limits.  There is a finiteness to our time and energy.  And to live as though there isn't is destructive as well as delusional." - Spiritual Disciplines Handbook

     I know that I struggle with this idea of rest a lot.  Many people seem to view rest in only the physical perspective.  Sure, God created us to need sleep, but that's not the whole idea.  God also expects us to rest mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I know that I get caught up in saying "Yes" to too many things all at once.  I have been trying to get involved in so many ministries here on campus that I feel like I'm going to explode, and I feel God is telling me to slow down and take a look at what I'm doing.  I can't rest while doing all these things; in any sense of the word.  We can become so caught up in what we want to do that we can overextend our own limitations which is destructive.

     I feel most deeply at rest when I sit at my house on a Sunday evening with no homework and just chill and watch football with my family.  Not only am I not doing anything physically taxing, I am taking time to get my mind off of school work, and spending time with my family all at the same time.  I also find rest after the games if I take a nap or just go play guitar quietly in my room.  Unfortunately it is much harder to find rest time at college.  But I'm going to make it a practice to enjoy restful times here as well.  Because I know I can't chug along forever...no matter how hard I try.  I wasn't created to, it's a simple as that.