Don’t Melt

God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

The snow fell in thick, silent flakes one Friday night as I returned home from dinner with friends. As I left to run errands the next morning, I watched two neighbor kids rolling snowballs nearly as big as they were.

When I arrived home a few hours later, I couldn’t miss the finished snowman, glistening in the sunlight near the edge of our yards. He was a stocky fellow with rocks for eyes, a carrot for a nose, and a curved stick for a mouth. A purple scarf was tied jauntily around his neck.

After cleaning the kitchen, I left for the grocery store. Pulling out of the driveway, I noticed that the snowman was leaning and shrinking a bit. Uh-oh. Sure enough, by the time I returned home after attending church and sneaking in a few hours of work Sunday afternoon, all that was left of Frosty were some piles of snow and the purple scarf. By Monday morning, the scarf was gone and just a few small mounds of snow remained on the lawn.

Frankly, I felt a bit like that snowman: totally spent. Its short life span—Saturday morning to early Monday morning—reminded me of the state of my soul just then. The hours and minutes that seemed to stretch out on Friday began to melt away as the weekend wore on. I may have checked off the boxes on my to-do list, but I was exhausted by the time a new workweek rolled around.

My tendency is to cram in as many errands, outings, and chores as I can on a weekend. After all, how else will I get everything done? I’m old enough to know, however, that my body simply can’t take that pace. When I ignore reality, I pay on Monday. On the other hand, when I obey God by observing the Sabbath—by “keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8)—I am filled up rather than depleted. God knew that we needed the Sabbath as a time to connect deeply with Him and other believers, as well as a time to rest.

Just as that snowman wasn’t made for sun, we weren’t built for nonstop activity. We may not be able to do much about the weather, but we can choose to slow our pace.

Rest Assured

Lord God, thank You for loving me enough to create the Sabbath. May I take that time this week to rest my body and allow You to restore my soul.

Rest in Him: Isaiah 58:13-14