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Reflection on Today’s Devotional:
“Every time I rest, I feel guilty.
There’s always a task that rest seems to come at the cost of. Last night, I enjoyed watching an episode of television with my fiancé. The rapidly growing pile of dirty dishes enjoyed it too. Later today, I’ll face the consequence of my choice.
I laid awake in bed later that night, wondering if I should have just settled in 30 minutes later in order to actually get the dishes done. The words of Genesis came back to me about God creating the seventh day for rest. It was one of His first acts of compassion. We, as his children, do not have to earn our rest. He gifted it to us alongside his love.
This momentarily calmed me. But it was the middle of night, and nobody’s mind is going to let them off that easily at that time. I instead wondered about everyone who does not have the luxury of choosing whether to rest. They simply must ‘go’ or face dire consequences. Does God watch over these individuals the same way he lets my biggest problem of the day be a pile of dirty dishes?
That’s the funny thing about rest. The Bible describes it as the Seventh day. Many of us fail to follow through on that literally, but instead perceive it as a moment’s pause after a period of hard work. For some, that means a weekend after a week on the job. Others seek a few seconds before moving on to the next thing. Others receive no such luxury at all.
Rest was not an empty gift. I am blessed to be able to make the choice to rest when I need to, and my consequence is simply procrastination. God has given me a mission to find those who do not share this blessing and extend a hand.
It is the least I can do, and He has given the time to do it.” – David Griffith (FPC Young Adult)