Monday Morning Memo: Rest...Now?

I don’t know about you, but I just love it (tongue in cheek) when I start a week with my calendar set and then something happens to change everything.   Not just one day’s plans or two…but absolutely everything.

We were heading home last Monday evening after visiting my dad and I made the comment to Dan that my throat was a little sore.  Thinking that’s all it was, I swallowed some vitamin C before bed and thought that would be the end of it.  I woke up Tuesday morning…feeling like a truck had run over me and wasn’t able to accomplish anything that day.

I decided Wednesday morning that I better see my doctor because surely she could just prescribe something that would make everything better and I could get back to my schedule.  Unfortunately she wasn’t too concerned with my schedule.   She checked me over and said that I had the viral bug that is rampant right now and that there wasn’t a quick fix.  She even had the audacity to tell me that I was probably going to get worse before I got better.  Such encouraging words.

After giving me something to hopefully settle down my cough and help me sleep, she informed me that the best thing I could do was to go home and go to bed for 2-3 days.  She said I needed rest…lots of rest.   I remember thinking that there was no way I was going to stay down that long…I just had too much to do.  Oh when will I learn?

Fast forward to this morning…and I still haven’t been out of the house since my doctor’s appointment.  Very little on my calendar has been accomplished these past days and I couldn’t even go to church yesterday.  That nasty “bug” hit me hard…zapping me of my energy and forcing me to go through with my doctor’s orders.  Each day I got up thinking of things that I would attempt to achieve that day…but would soon realize that most would remain undone.

It’s funny how when I’m healthy and going strong, I often wish I had a day to just rest, but then when I don’t have any other choice but to rest…I’m not happy.  Why?  Because of course, no one wants to have to rest because they are sick.  It’s one thing if it is our choice to take a day off…we just don’t like to be forced to rest!

When I think of those whose health deters them every day from doing what they would love to do, I feel ashamed that I’m whining from having to be down for only a week.  Mine is just a short-term inconvenience, but there are many who have encountered a huge detour in their life and find themselves on a journey they surely didn’t have on their schedule.  Day after day…week after week…month after month…they face health issues that prohibit them from fulfilling their dreams and aspirations.  But yet, so many of them, have made the choice to use their unplanned circumstances to shine their light for their Jesus.  They are determined to not dwell on what they can’t do…but on what they can do to touch the lives of others.

In Exodus 33:13-14, we read this conversation between Moses and the Lord:   “If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

Moses wanted to understand the Lord and His ways more fully and the Lord promised him that He would be with him every step of the way and that everything would be fine. He also told Moses that He would give him rest.  I don’t think the Lord was just talking about the fact that Moses and his people could rest once they reached the Promised Land.  I think He was telling him that HIS presence would give him rest – physically, mentally and spiritually -  no matter what life would throw at him.

And the same is true for us.  The Lord’s presence within us can give us rest…when an unexpected detour comes our way.  Rest…when our spirit feels unsettled and unsatisfied.  Rest…when the world around us is in disarray.  Rest…when we are apprehensive regarding our future.  Rest…when our mind wants to dwell on our past.  Rest…when His plans don’t concur with our plans.  And yes…rest even the week before Christmas.

Are you in need of rest today…physically, mentally or spiritually?  The Lord promises that His presence can give you the kind of rest you need for today, tomorrow and the weeks and months to come.  He knows absolutely everything about you and nothing that you are going through is a surprise to Him.  Today may not be the day you had planned on your calendar…but if you seek Him…He promises to walk with you every step of the way and give you rest.  I can’t think of anyone better to have as your walking partner than Him!