Do you work out at all, either at a gym or at home? I have been working out for about a year and a half faithfully. My husband joined me about a month ago and it makes the workout a little easier to have another person doing it with you. When you feel like you would rather stay in bed, you get up because you know another is depending on you.
I am a complete Sanguine personality, so I need something that is upbeat and fast paced to keep me engaged. I have a hard time with the rest. I find myself wanting to fast forward through it and move on to the next exercise. Having my husband work out with me forces me to take the rest between sets.
The rest between sets is strategically placed in the workout for a purpose. It forces you to pause and allows you to catch your breath. It helps prevent you from injury that would happen if you pushed your body with no rest. It isn’t time wasted, no matter how much I feel it is. It serves a purpose.
Psalm 62:5 says “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.” The Lord knows we need to take time to rest in our day to day lives. When God created the heavens and the earth, He did it in six days. On the seventh day, He rested [Genesis 1:1- 2:2]. Our God didn’t require a rest for Himself. He can do all things at all times and never depletes of energy or resources. I believe He put the rest in there for us. He knew our bodies and our minds would need a day to rest each week.
He also knows we need to have time to rest in Him each day. He encourages us to meet with Him in the morning to just rest in Him and recognize Who He is [Psalm 46:10; Mark 1:35].
What does your schedule look like this week? Do you have a lot to accomplish? Will you schedule “rest time” for yourself where you can sit before the throne and just be?
I love Robert Fulghum’s book, All I Really Need to Know, I Learned In Kindergarten. He states in his book we should take a nap every afternoon. It is my belief we should rest in the Lord every morning. When we do, we will have the strength we need for the next task at hand and avoid injury. In your day today, don’t forget the rest.