Rest

Take a deep breath.
Now relax your muscles.

Do you feel at rest now? Probably not (unless you were before you started reading). Resting is something that takes more time than that. Yet however much time it takes, most people will agree (or perhaps just admit) that we need it.

I looked up a couple of dictionary definitions of the word "rest". Here are a few:

rest
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb 1 a : to get rest by lying down; especially : sleep b : to lie dead
2 : to cease from action or motion : refrain from labor or exertion
3 : to be free from anxiety or disturbance
4 : to sit or lie fixed or supported (a column rests on its pedestal)
5 a : to remain confident : trust (cannot rest on that assumption) b : to be based or founded (the verdict rested on several sound precedents)
6 : to remain for action or accomplishment (the answer rests with you)
7 of farmland : to remain idle or uncropped
(Merriam-Webster)

rest
— ORIGIN Old English, from a root meaning "league" or "mile" (referring to a distance after which one rests).
verb 1 cease work or movement in order to relax or recover strength. 2 allow to be inactive in order to regain or save strength or energy. 3 place or be placed so as to stay in a specified position: his feet rested on the table. 4 (rest on) depend or be based on. 5 (rest in/on) place (trust, hope, or confidence) in or on.
(Oxford English Dictionary)

A few things strike me:

1. Resting implies intent or necessity. The cessation of labour is done for a reason: "in order to relax or recover strength". Land is given rest so that it can better bear fruit the next year.
   
2. I am no linguist but 900 years seems like a pretty good long time for a word to be in use. Of course the concept has been around much longer, but the longstanding use of this word in our culture seems to point to its significance. Also note that its derivation (see above) refers once again to the need for rest: after going a certain distance, it is time to rest.
   
3. There is an element of confidence or trust. Resting requires trusting. I can't sleep well without trusting that I am safe. I can't stop working unless I trust that the necessary task will be finished. I usually like to think of the image of leaning on something for support: we trust in something because it is strong enough to allow us to rest.

I challenge you to take some time this week to rest; don't just assume you will have the strength you need without intentionally resting. As you rest, consider how trusting is specifically linked to your resting.

Isn't it interesting that God specifically commanded his people to rest?

Blue Sky Sunday

When I got up this morning it glowed rosy orange through my window. As the sun rose brightly over the horizon, melting the heavy frost, I drove with friends to visit St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. It was good to visit with friends on the expedition, and to worship in that church with others I had only met once before. By the time we were driving home the sun was high and it was easy to imagine that the grays and browns of the landscape would soon change to greens under the warmth of that azure sky.

The afternoon was filled with walking and visiting, enjoying the sunshine and dear friends. After dinner I worked in the still bright ceramics studio until the stars came out. On the way home I paused to look at the distant points of light in the blackness above and picked out familiar Orion before heading indoors.

It was not a day for pondering the complexities of life or even for blogging. So even while this blog is not a journal, I thought that this entry would have to take that form. This week, today was what I wanted to share. It was a day for nurturing a spirit of thankfulness, for shoving that complaining spirit far far away and for reminding me of good things - especially of God's goodness. I am thankful for the gift of this blue-sky Sunday.