More than a Suggestion - Tracy Krauss

Bob Jones quoted poet Edgar A. Guest in his post this month: "Rest if you must, but don't you quit". I LOVE that! I also appreciated his mention of Carol Tice's exhortation to take a complete Sabbath rest. 

I'd like to expand on that thought... 

Her words ring true because they come straight from the heart of God. Think about it. God didn't suggest we take a Sabbath rest. He commanded it. It's right there with "Thou shalt not kill... steal...commit adultery..." So why do so many Christians (myself included) downplay--or even ignore altogether--this command? 

We can blame a busy life, our work schedule, not enough hours in a day, or any number of excuses. I'm not judging. All these things are true. God knows we tend to overcommit.

Which is kind of the point. God knows we NEED a Sabbath rest in order to be more productive the rest of the week. Without a day to rest and recharge, we deplete ourselves to the point that we just aren't able to keep up. And then we crash.

Taking a Sabbath rest is one of those Biblical principles that doesn't make sense in the natural realm. If I don't have enough time to do everything, how is taking a day off going to help? It sounds counter-productive.

Well, it's very similar to another principle: tithing. How can people who are strapped for cash afford to tithe? If you don't have enough money to pay your bills, giving away ten percent of your income sounds ridiculous. It's just not sensible. 

Except... in God's supernatural realm, it opens up the windows of heaven for even more blessings. In my lifetime, my husband and I have been dirt poor more than once. We could barely put food on the table. But what little we did have, we tithed. We never starved and we never had to sleep on the street. In fact, more than once we received unexpected money or anonymous gifts. We never went without, even though we faced some really hard times. So we keep on giving... and God has continued to bless us beyond what we deserve. Tithing doesn't make sense, but God honors those who do it. (And tithing isn't one of the ten commandments, like taking a Sabbath rest is. Just a side note...) 

It all points back to the principle of reaping what we sow. If we give generously, then we are rewarded generously. I believe this same principle can be applied to our time.

Can't find enough time in the week? Start taking a day off. Seriously. Despite the counter-intuitive nature of such action, it actually works. What time you do have will be much more productive. Chores get done more efficiently. Life runs more smoothly. Give God the Sabbath and He will honor the rest. 

I realize this isn't a popular notion in today's culture. We are very used to hoarding our time. And for the record, I'm not talking about some kind of legalism. God didn't institute a day of rest because He wanted to punish us or because He is a fun-sucker. It is actually for our benefit. You don't have to spend the entire day reading the Bible and praying, but as Carol Tice said (referencing Bob's post again) don't do any work and don't THINK about work. If that means staying away from technology, then so be it. 

Resting one day a week is more than a suggestion. It is a recipe for a happier, healthier, more productive life. Why not give it a try?

Tracy Krauss writes - and rests - from her home in Tumbler Ridge, BC. She has many books and plays in print and is currently serving as Inscribe's president. For more visit her website: tracykrauss.com  

Invest In Rest by Bob Jones

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

 

I hope those words mean as much to you today as they do to me. When I feel like quitting it’s often because I’m tired. Tired of looking at a blank screen. Tired of writing. Tired of struggling to be creative. Tired of the incessant demand of writing deadlines. Mentally tired. Just, plain tired. 

 

Over the years I learned that it takes discipline and trust to rest. Trust that the writing groove will be found again. Discipline to force myself away from an unfinished project, close my laptop, or journal, and give myself permission to stop writing.

 

Resting is my solution to quitting.

 

Don't Quit

 

Poet Edgar A. Guest wrote the inspirational “Don’t Quit” one hundred years ago. In all, he published over 11,000 poems. Guest concludes his poem with the words,

You can never tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

 

I wonder if he wrote “Don’t Quit:” out of his personal experience?  The poem is a gentle reminder to us all that even the most trying of times will end, and there are sunnier skies ahead.

 

Inscribers have felt the urge to quit.

 

In November 2020, Lynn Dove wrote, “I have never felt more like quitting than today! I look at the blank screen on my computer and experience an overwhelming urge to… declare my writing career done.” 

 

If it feels uncomfortable taking a rest its because there is so much around compelling us not to rest. Rest is a luxury; rest is a priority. How do you deal with this tension?

 

As Jesus followers we’re familiar with the “Sabbath rest.” Writer, Carol Tice, credits her creativity to the Sabbath rest. “What happens when you rest — truly rest — is nothing short of amazing and miraculous.

I know this because every week, I take a full day completely off of work.

I don't check email. I turn of all electronic devices. And I don't write a single thing.

It's wonderful.

I don't even think about working. (This part is important). Just total downtime.

And it's how I'm able to maintain a busy schedule of writing without losing my mind.”

 

Note to self:  Try this at least once before you retire.

 

Routine Commandments

Author Henry Miller created a work schedule that listed “commandments” for him to follow as part of his daily routine. Miller doesn't use the word “rest” but the value is woven through his list.

 

1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.

2. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.

3. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!

4. Keep human! See people, go places.

5. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.

6. Discard the Program when you feel like it—but go back to it next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.

7. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.

8. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

 

Invest in rest. You won't regret it. 

 

I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

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