And Now the Rest of the Story

February 8, 2023

I need a better attitude toward winter. I really get tired of cold, bleak days. I want to be outside, doing things, but the weather gets in the way. The extra layers of clothing inhibit movement. The paint and varnish cans warn against use in cold temperatures. Glue doesn’t dry fast in cold weather. I feel confined and restricted!

I tend to gain weight in winter months. Don’t we all? We celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with festive meals and extra sweets around the house. It would be wasteful to discard leftovers, so we store them, a bite at a time, at our waistlines. Winter, though, inhibits the exercise we need. (If we exercise, we don’t have to cut back on eating , right?)

I’d like to fast-forward to spring, or at least hibernate. It’s not going to happen.

The Bible is big on rest. Every seventh day was a time for rest. Every seventh year the fields were not planted, to give them a time of rest. Every fiftieth year, the one after seven series of seven years, was an extra rest year of no planting.

We all need a time to slack off and rest and relax a little bit.

But what is rest for us? Is it sleep or vigorous fun activities or just a change of pace? When God rested after the sixth day of creation, he was not tired, but he took a day of rest. Why? It was to consider all that was in existence.

In these winter months we relax and take stock. We take time to appreciate instead of rushing around. How are we doing with what we’ve been given? How is our relationship with God?

It’s time to plan. It’s time to look ahead, but not while we are on the run. God is ready to reshape us, when we’re ready to open up to his building arts.

“God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.” Genesis 2:3