"Let's just relax today."
If you are anything like me, that simple statement may have caused you serious feelings of dread! "Relax?" HOW???? I have NO CLUE how to relax!
Over the past few years, I have been on a journey of wellness - mentally, physically, and spiritually. A significant part of this journey has been to develop sabbath rhythms in my life and home. Daily, weekly, and yearly intentionality to deepen my connection to my Heavenly Father.
It is no surprise to anyone that we live in an incredibly busy culture. At one point I counted that I had 7 different ways that people could reach out to me, awaiting an answer, and I don't even know if a message came in!
Rest in a busy culture seems incredibly counter-cultural. As churches and Christian leaders who have spent the last couple of decades watching the rise of mega-churches and high-performance, CEO-like pastors, the message of rest sounds almost legalistic. How can we possibly rest when there are so many people who need the saving grace of Jesus? I listened to podcasts of Christian leaders boasting that they have never taken a sabbatical and claim we just need better time and energy management in our lives.
Is that how the Bible says we should live?
Adam Mabry's book, The Art of Rest is a great introduction to this vital topic. Over the past 5 years, I have come to believe that if we truly want to see spiritual fruit in our lives, families, ministry, or business, we must embrace the spiritual rhythms modeled for us by Jesus himself.
To keep Christians from returning to the hard-core legalism of the Pharisees, we must approach sabbath keeping as an art form more than a method that everyone needs to practice perfectly. How a business owner approaches the sabbath will look radically different than a pastor or a politician.
What I love about this book is the author gets to the heart of the issue - the heart of Jesus!
Come to me, all who are weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
Rest, true spiritual rest, is a gift given to us by Christ. And it's like any art form, whether it's painting or music, we all need to practice it daily, weekly, and yearly for the beauty of it to be seen and heard.
This book, though hitting on the theology of rest, is written in a style that anyone can relate to and understand. No Old Testament Master's degree is needed to explore this topic in your life. It's personal, and practical, and allows flexibility to implement rest into your routines, regardless of how busy you think you are.
As someone who has more understanding and practice in the art of rest, this book serves as a great reminder of the importance of meeting with God in sabbath keeping. I loved this quote from the book:
We embrace the art of rest because it is a gift given to us by God, practices among us by Christ, inspired for us by the Holy Spirit, and inviting us to fellowship with Father, Son, and Spirit. As we say yest to this kind of rest, his refreshing, unburdened, and happy presence will begin to flow into our lives, and therefore into our world.
That's what I want in my life! That's what I want in my home and in my church! That's the type of impact I pray we will see across our city.
If you're weary, tired, or feeling burdened, let me encourage you to check out this book. Don't just read it, learn from it, and apply it.
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