- 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
- 2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Go a little overboard encouraging the writer who linked up before you.
Rest…
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| The bridal shower where we received our packs |
When we married, we registered for cross-country backpacks instead of china and flatware. At the time, we believed we would be moving to India inside of a year, so we were striving to decrease rather than increase our possessions. We also thought that our mission work would require travel into out-of-the-way places where a large camping backpack would work better than an airline carry-on. So... we registered for backpacks.
I still remember, at least 8 years from my last pack usage, the feeling of physical relief when we arrived at our destination and rolled the packs onto a table or pick-up truck bed. Ah, rest.
Climbing into bed at the end of a long day, coming home after a trip, curling up in my favorite chair--all these things spell rest to me.
There's another kind of rest the Bible describes, too: the rest of rolling burdens and worries and others' expectations onto the shoulders of the Lord; the rest of ceasing to strive for my own agenda and leaning into His; the rest of coming to Jesus and accepting His yoke; the rest of moving forward in trust and confidence in the direction of His call.
That kind of rest is available in the midst of the work, in the midst of the labor, as available as a cry to Jesus for help.
I'm feeling a need for both kinds today; how about you?
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28, NLT).
*****
This is my first attempt at joining the 5-minute Friday fun. Scanning and adding the photo occurred after the buzzer. :) It's been one of those weeks that feels at once too long and too brief: too long because of fatigue and too short because of the self-induced pressure of all that remains on my list. Consequently, when I saw on friends' blogs the word for this week, it seemed the right time to dive on in.
May you find deep rest and replenishment this weekend, which is a long one for Americans. Fitting, isn't it? A long-feeling week followed by a long weekend. As Ann Voskamp says, all is grace.
