Stewarding Rest

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

Genesis‬ 2‬:2‬ (NIV)‬‬

While attending a college graduation party this past weekend I was reminded about two words: stewardship and rest. Stewardship is the job of supervising or taking care of something, rest is defined as freedom from activity or labor; a state of motionlessness or inactivity. The question that was raised regarding these two words was, how are you stewarding your rest? A question that should be easy to answer but yet creates a difficult response for most. We work, grind, do overtime, etc. but how often do we steward rest? Do you take proper time to become motionless or supervise inactivity?

Our text begins the second chapter of Genesis, after God finished all the work of creation there was a time of rest on the seventh day. I must raise the question, if God understood the importance of Rest why do we attempt to live invincible lives without rest? Amid the busyness of life, I encourage the necessity of rest. After you finish working, how are you resting or caring for yourself? This is the perfect season for rest, don’t go another step without planning time for rest. Attending conferences, gatherings, conventions, etc. is not rest. We have to become intentional about how we care for ourselves, because we are constantly caring for others while neglecting ourselves. Here’s my declaration I love myself enough to take time for rest. Talk to me, how are you stewarding your rest?