Making Time
by Debbie Poer
Something I observe over and over again is the frequency with which people say, “I’m too busy,” “I don’t have enough time,” or something similar when we are discussing making time to truly rest. All of those statements usually translate into “I don’t make time to become rested and refreshed.” How much we miss when that is the way we live.
Scripture abounds with examples of the rhythm of rest beginning in Genesis 1. God created cycles, rhythms, for the sun, moon, and stars. There is rhythm to days, months, seasons, and even to the tides. And then He created a day of rest and instructed us that we should observe the Sabbath, a day that occurs every seven days. In the New Testament we see numerous examples of Jesus withdrawing from the crowds, “Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16).
When we seriously heed His Word and observe a Sabbath, whether it be every Sunday or another chosen day of the week, there is great value to our body and our soul in doing so. It’s not intended to be a day we do “other things” outside of our normal weekly activities. It’s not a day to catch up on laundry, housecleaning, mowing the yard, or shopping; it’s a day of rest. In her book, Soul Feast, Marjorie J. Thompson states, “Yet if rest does not reach the depth of soul it is merely vacation, not sabbath.”
When I was in third grade, I began learning to play the violin. We did not begin by playing Bach’s Fugue in G minor but rather began by learning rhythm. We learned the 4/4 time signature meant four counts per measure, a whole note gets four counts, a half note gets 2 counts, a quarter note gets 1 count and the same for the rests. A whole rest gets four counts, a half rest gets 2 counts, and a quarter rest gets one count. And we learned the rests had as great a value as the notes. If we did not pay attention to them, instead of music we would have a cacophony of sound and no rhythm to the music.
The same is true of our souls and our bodies when it comes to rest. When we consider that our souls will eternally outlast our bodies, why do we think we should not prepare them for that? If we go, go, go, without making time for true rest, how are we preparing them for eternity? Similarly, the same questions can be asked of our bodies and earthly existence. If we go, go, go, how are we caring for our physical bodies for the time we are given here? How can we effectively serve when we are physically exhausted? Like music’s notes and rests, when we don’t create or learn a rhythm to our life we become a jumbled mess.
Regarding “I don’t have time” statements, I would propose it comes down to surrender. We have a difficult time saying we are finished for the moment. Author Wayne Muller writes, “Sabbath requires surrender… If we refuse rest until we are finished, we will never rest until we die. Sabbath dissolves the artificial urgency of our days, because it liberates us from the need to be finished.” Resting means we must surrender and trust God to take care of what we put aside while we rest. In Psalm 3:5, we read of David’s rest as Absalom was chasing him, “I rested and slept; I awoke, for the Lord protects me.”
So, how do we create the rhythm of rest? It’s not easy in our hectic world. It takes intentionality.
The first place I recommend we look at is Scripture, beginning in Genesis 1. Read and read again God’s rhythm of creation. As you read on, pay particular attention to Deuteronomy 5:12, “Be careful to observe the Sabbath day just as the LORD your God has commanded you.” Rest is not a suggestion, but a command. Then as we continue reading through God’s Word (almost every book of Scripture contains a mention of rest) we look for those examples of rest by people who came before us. If it was good enough for the men and women of faith who came before us, isn’t it good enough for us? As we read through Scripture, noting examples of rest and rhythms of rest, our mindsets should shift. We should become more aware of the importance of taking time out to allow our minds, bodies, and souls to exhale and become more aware of God.
Begin setting aside time. Perhaps in the beginning we are resting like quarter notes, only short intervals of a few hours. Over the years I have discovered that the quarter note times eventually became too short and my sabbaths have become a day or two at a time.
As we set aside those times and surrender our activities, we must learn what to do. Going into those times of rest with our Bible, a pen and a notebook nearby has great value. In the beginning, our rest may be nothing more than learning to sit quietly without any distractions. Ow, that’s hard! (“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10.) But as our rhythm of rest grows it may become a day spent in nature, or sitting in a favorite place, allowing God to speak into our lives.
And that is the ultimate goal of rest. We want to be open to hearing God speak. How does He want us to care for our bodies in order to serve Him better here? What does He want us to hear from the Holy Spirit to prepare us for His eternal Kingdom?
How is your rhythm of rest? Are you using excuses to avoid it or are you willing to surrender and be obedient to listen for God?
