GRATITUDE 225 Flying Away to Rest

I've been planning to take a week-long trip to spend some time with my lovely sister and meet that bundle of love she smoothly delivered just a week ago. Joy. However, the flu that landed on our household last week is likely still lingering so we decided against me taking those germs to my precious niece. Insert emoji teary face. No need to take chances with someone so tiny and fragile. Oh I can't wait to hold her. Isn't she beautiful? Just like her mama.

With a plane ticket already purchased and quite a few plans for childcare already in the works, Andy really pushed me to take the time away even though I won't be able to see my sister and niece. I balked at the idea quite honestly. I think a combination of guilt and the sheer volume of work it takes to “leave” was deterring me. But Andy would not let it go! That man is so kind to me. So here I am, sitting in seat 14 F, flying away to my week of Sabbath. A. WEEK. Of. Sabbath.

It was quite a bit of work to get all the childcare lined up for the week and think through coaching Andy to handle my normal responsibilities on top of his. You know things like homework and birthday parties and laundry and meals. That man is a saint for taking all this on so I could rest. A mini picture of the gospel really. He is working so I can rest. (Thinking on that picture does the heart good)

He will be just fine with out me. I didn't nickname him the Butler for nothing. He's quite competent at managing our home and puts me to shame in the cleaning department. And as he reminded me, God's grace will show up to meet his needs this week. Actually, it already has. God knows how weak and barely-keeping-my head-above water I am. Planning in advance how to feed 4 mouths for a week was a daunting task for me. No worries. God to the rescue. Totally unprompted by me and JUST BEFORE my grocery trip to gather food for my meals, a friend called and offered to coordinate meals for Andy and the kids. YEP, every night my people will be eating home cooked meals prepared and delivered with love by my friends. Body of Chirst=awesomeness. God is so tender with this “sheep caring for her young.” So though it was a lot of work to “leave”, God gave me strength for what I needed to do and he covered what was too much for me to do. GRACE FROM FIRST TO LAST.

As for the guilt, well, I just preached the gospel to myself when those feelings came up and peace and gratitude filled my heart. I am called to rest, yes commanded to rest. Receiving the gift of rest for my body and mind shows the greater reality of receiving the free gift of REST for my soul. I can't work for the rest my soul needs. No, it was given to me because Jesus worked. He worked a terribly difficult life of obedience and love and self sacrifice and worked an even more terrifying death on my behalf. He worked so I could rest.

You see, the discipline to get into rythyms of rest is about TRUST, which is at the heart of the gospel. It's about tursting the truth that he has worked on my behalf so I can rest. Trusting and resting is about putting God and myself in our rightful places. Him as worker...me as receiver.

In the small decision to rest weekly, I say to God “I am needy and I can't continue on without your renewing of my body and soul.” And in larger chunks, like this week, I scream it even louder. I NEED YOU. I am empty without you, Lord. FILL ME to love you. RENEW ME to serve you. It's saying “God, what I can't do, you can.”

Both the weekly rhythms and the longer times of Sabbatical point to the most fundamental way I need him to provide, as it relates to salvation.   I say again, “God I can't do, but you can.” Entering an abiding in a love relationship with Christ is receiving the invitation to eternal Sabbath, it's receiving the truth: He has worked so I can rest. 

So for now, I fly away to my week of SABBATH to rest my body and my mind.  And one day, OH BLESSED DAY, I will fly away to my eternal Sabbath!