Work To Rest-Rest To Work

 Song 2:10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 


As I grow older, I realize more and more that I need to incorporate cardio into my life.  I hate running because it hurts my legs (baseball seasons have taken their toll) so I have been swimming weekly at the Western pool.  I was intimidated by all the college swimmers at first, but I eventually bought myself some goggles.  On one occasion, someone even stole my underwear and tee-shirt from my locker--I felt pretty weird walking through campus without my shirt on, not to mention the weird factor of someone possibly wearing my undies.  So, to even get in the habit of swimming was quite an adventure.  The first few weeks I would swim 10 laps (down and back), as I would freestyle--I would need to take a breath at every 3 strokes.  But as the weeks went by, exuding 4 strokes to every breath became no problem.

I am realizing that life has the same rhythms.  I need to work and rest.  Gathering strength and then expelling that strength, and then back again.  Our homes should be places of rest and gathering.  Or at least a bedroom in our homes needs to be set apart for completely gathering rest.  When we have computers in our bedrooms and bills strung out all over the place it is like trying to swim 10 strokes before taking a breath.  Sometimes we have to work to rest.  You may need to fight for rest.  

On a real practical level.  Do you have a place completely set apart for rest in your home, if not, it's worth working to rest.  Miranda and I have been working real hard and even sacrificing rest in order to make a room in our house a sanctuary for us to rest.  Environment for rest is critical.  Time to rest without an environment to rest, will not equal rest.  So sometimes we need to work to rest.