Rest Isn't a Suggestion, It's a Necessity

I was raised in a home that took the Sabbath Day very seriously. My dad was adamant when it came to how we spent our Sundays. We weren’t allowed to play sports, work or do homework on the Sabbath. As he put it, “You have 6 other days in the week to do those things, but today, we rest. That is what God commands us to do.” I now joke with him that I only work one day a week and it’s on Sunday!

Over the last few months the word “rest” has been going through my mind and it hit me how the

word “leisure” is often misused as its substitute. What do I mean by this? Well, I feel that culture
has brainwashed us into thinking that activities of leisure (vacation, cruises, afternoon strolls, TV,
concerts) are restful. I have to admit I have fallen into that mindset, the one that says “I am just
going to sit down and watch some TV and rest”. I don’t know about you, but watching a sporting
event is the opposite of rest! I have felt this strong sense of God pushing me toward true rest - a
rest of my mind, body and soul. After all, isn’t that what God commands us to do? 

Culture has also manipulated us into the concept that “being busy is a good thing”. You have heard
it, “Oh, I am just keeping busy”. Why has that turned into a good thing?! Busy-ness is not a badge
of honor or a lifestyle we are called to lead. We are called to rest, friends.

We can read about “rest” MANY times in Scripture and it isn’t by chance that the first instance is

God Himself resting! Genesis 2:2 says, “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he
had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work he had done.” Did God have to rest?
Of course not, but He did and it was the very first thing He did after creating the universe. For
more passages on “rest”, I invite you to also look up Psalm 62:1, Psalm 23:1-2, and 
Matthew 11:29-30, just to name a few.

So, why do I say all of this? Because, I want to challenge you to find time in your week for rest,

not leisure. We live in a world with a lot of noise and it doesn’t allow for God to speak in our lives.
Rest isn’t mentioned in the Bible time and time again for us to ignore it. God knows the
importance of rest and knows that through that rest, it will allow us to reset, refresh and renew
our minds, bodies and souls. The next time someone asks you, “Keeping busy?”, it’s okay to say,
“Actually, not as much as I was before! I have found time to truly rest and it has made a huge
difference in my life!”

Matt Coyne, Student Minister at Sturgeon Bay Community Church