I hated naps as a child.
I didn’t see the point.
Why should I be forced to lay down and rest when I didn’t feel tired?
Summer evenings were brutal.
I’d toss and turn in bed while the sun still shone for another hour.
What a waste.
From an open bedroom window I could hear older children in the neighborhood still playing outside.
My parents would tell me that when I grew up I’d feel differently about bedtime.
I’d look forward to it.
I didn’t believe them.
As a busy adult I tend to push the limits.
There is often more things to do in the day than there is time to accomplish them.
How differently I feel now when I crawl under the covers and lay my head on the pillow.
I sigh with contentment at how good it feels to rest.
My parents were right.
God knew how important it was for us to rest.
He told us to devote one day a week to it.
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day, you shall rest.”
Exodus 34:12 (NIV)
It’s a good reminder for me that it’s okay to rest.
Dawn
I didn’t see the point.
Why should I be forced to lay down and rest when I didn’t feel tired?
Summer evenings were brutal.
I’d toss and turn in bed while the sun still shone for another hour.
What a waste.
From an open bedroom window I could hear older children in the neighborhood still playing outside.
My parents would tell me that when I grew up I’d feel differently about bedtime.
I’d look forward to it.
I didn’t believe them.
As a busy adult I tend to push the limits.
There is often more things to do in the day than there is time to accomplish them.
How differently I feel now when I crawl under the covers and lay my head on the pillow.
I sigh with contentment at how good it feels to rest.
My parents were right.
God knew how important it was for us to rest.
He told us to devote one day a week to it.
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day, you shall rest.”
Exodus 34:12 (NIV)
It’s a good reminder for me that it’s okay to rest.
Dawn
Dawn, your posts are so refreshing! The pictures are awesome, and the thoughts as well. Yes, I needed the reminder that rest is not the enemy of efficiency, it is the friend of the busy.
ReplyDeleteCynthia,thank you for the lovely compliments. :)
ReplyDeleteI also need to be reminded - often - that rest is a gift and a requirement given to us by God. I shouldn't look at it as something that gets in the way of marking things off my checklist. LOL!
Oooh, I love this picture, Dawn. I agree, we need to take time out. Amazing that God knew we'd resist this needed downtime, so He included it in the commandments. That's a caring, fatherly thing to do.
ReplyDeleteHmm... maybe I'll go cuddle my toddler and kick back for a while.
Hugs,
Annette