TRUST in the LORD with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding!
“What shall I do LORD?” Acts 22:10
Is that not the question of the century or what! What’s shall I do Lord? For many of us true rest and stillness is a very difficult concept to master. For me, it is because I love feeling productive. I love the feeling of having accomplished something, or better yet many things. It makes me feel useful, valuable… important. If I’m not DOING something i feel less valuable.
Did I seriously just say that? Just looking at that sentence make me shake my head! How! How in the world can my physical activity affect my value? I mean, if a car isn’t driving me somewhere does that decrease it’s a value or ability to do so later? No. Actually, most cars are worth more if they haven’t been driven extensively and essentially worn out. Or my children. If they’re sitting and watching TV or sleeping rather than cleaning does that make them less valuable to me? What about my coffee maker? It’s job is to make coffee when I want it. I did does just that. So during those times when it’s not making coffee does it lose its value? Nope. So where in the world do we get the idea that if we’re talking a break of any length that we lose our value? Or that we’re not useful? If my coffee maker is not being used at the moment does that mean it has ceased to be a useful tool for my kitchen? If my car isn’t being driven at the moment has its ceast from being a useful way for me to get to the grocery store? Oh! Or what if it even ran out of gas which is totally happened! Has it ceased to be useful to me? By no means! Was it the car’s fault it ran out of gas, or mine?
Why do we feel so guilty about running out of gas physically or spiritually or emotionally? Why is it so hard to allow ourselves to be humans in need of a break? Why do we refuse to rest? Why do neglect to fill up our gas tanks or our water reservoir and then get angry when they run out and we’re forced to stop our movement and take a break and pray?
Prayer is our fuel and time in the word is our living water. The Lord is my strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.
Tamar Knochel 
Tamar,
The long and the short of it is that Mark was intrigued when I presented the challenge that you set forth. Mark, being a journalism major in college, went to the task of writing “his version” of a devotional to the Acts 25:13-28:31 verses assigned. I read and edited with some minor spacing type of corrections but not much more. I hope you don’t mind he took the first stab at it. Consider this attachment from a christian man’s point of view as a husband, father of two, Sunday school teacher and deacon and most importantly a lover a Jesus Christ our Heavenly Father. While we bantered over the different styles of writing we both so inherently possess, I am proud to report that my husband so much wanted to do this. 🙂 Embrace it with clarity of mind and praise God for the so needed break. I will take whatever assignment comes next. Open attachment and you will find both a regular word document and a pdf file saved so that you could download to site appropriately or however it works. 🙂 thanks. Heather
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE that both of you worked on it!!! God just said to text you the mission, the rest was up to HIM! Looks like He took care of it. 😉 You both did a great job. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
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I think a lot of the guilt comes from what others say or at the very least imply. Drives me crazy! Hey, if they don’t want to rest – fine but I need to when I need to 🙂 Recently, I have been reminded of the Sabbath. Not in a legalistic sort of way but just the action of taking a set time to rest and hang out with God and enjoy His creation. Since church is on Sunday, I’ve chosen Saturday to be my “rest” day. I give myself permission to not do anything if I don’t want to. Just rest and relax. (emergencies excluded – of course). Best to fill the tank on a regular basis than to run around on fumes 🙂 Good post. Blessings!
Well thanks Ann. 🙂 I agree about others implying laziness.
One of my first books, in the very beginning of blogging, was on the Sabbath and how it was made for man and not the other way around. Like you said, not in a legalistic way, but in a “hey I’m human and need a break” kind of way.
I think you hit the nail right on the head when you said the word “permission”. We have to give ourselves permission to admit we’re weak and need a rest. My Sabbath day has changed days of the week over time…and I forget to take them from time to time. But I do at least recognize the importance of taking them…. most of the time. 😉
Phew! So glad there are others out there 🙂 Have a great day!
I think I am going to do a deeper study on the Sabbath so when questioned I can give an answer 🙂 Glad to know others are out there too 🙂
Misery loves company doesn’t it!?! 🙂 It is ALWAYS so good to know that we are never alone.
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