Cheryl Wunderlich - Sacred Rest: Finding the Sabbath in the Everyday

I never realized resting could be so difficultuntil I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was forty-two years old. My sprint through life as a mother of three active children came to a screeching halt. Surgery and chemotherapy meant stepping down from my role as director of womens ministries at a large church and retreating from the activities that made me feel significant. If that wasnt difficult enough, another cancer diagnosis five years later abruptly interrupted my life. Cancer had forced me to rest against my will, and I resented it.

Resting felt like being trapped under a one-ton boulder. My long days seemed pointless because I wasnt accomplishing anything. And if I could manage to rest physically, I couldnt calm the anxious thoughts swirling through my mind.

Sensing my struggle, an older woman from church reached out. She told me that knowing God just to know Him was a worthier endeavor than anything else. She told me I had to make resting the most important, nonnegotiable activity each day. She reassured me I could trust God to use those around me to accomplish everything else. I left that precious conversation determined to rest. I learned quickly, however, that resting is easier said than done.

Why do we struggle with rest? We long for an afternoon at the beach or stolen hour to read a book. But often these mini-breaks never come. We are experts at pushing ourselves beyond healthy limits. Social media and smartphones reinforce this frenetic lifestyle. We pride ourselves on accomplishments, even more if they include good things like ministry. Inside, though, we grow emptier and emptier. I never realized how empty I had become until my unwelcome season of rest.

At a loss, I turned to the Bible and began a quest to examine every verse that mentioned rest. My findings astounded me. How had I gotten so far off course? And as I looked at the harried lives of others, I realized that most of us are off course.

I had spent my entire life doing things for God but had missed knowing Him intimately because my life was void of rest. Thats what busyness does. It sweeps us up into its current and carries us downstream, away from God. He calls from the riverbank to swim ashore and rest with Him. Often were so far away that His voice is barely audible above the roar. We exhaust ourselves trying to stay afloat and call to Him only when were desperate.

I hope this devotional will be a lifeline to pull you from the clutches of our busy world. I pray youll refocus, quiet your weary soul, and experience the refreshment of connecting with God. Rest is important to God. He set aside an entire day of creation for rest. In fact, the Hebrew word for rest the first time it appears in the Bible is the same as our word Sabbath, which means to stop all labor. God knew rest would be essential to our spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being; its not just a nice added extra. Sabbath rest is a gift from God. Take time to savor the quiet moments He has planned for you to come away from our busy world and draw near to Him.