Rest: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace,
& restoration
Of all the practices named in The Way of Love, this one
might be the most difficult to achieve. We know that God ordained this practice
in the first creation account (Genesis 2:2-3); I don’t think this means God put
his feet up, closed his eyes, and fell asleep (the fact that the Creator needed rest is, I suppose, something to
contemplate!) I think it’s more likely God wanted a chance to enjoy the divine
handiwork, with satisfaction and without distraction; to set aside time to
revel delightedly in the newly-minted universe and all its wonders as they
unfolded. (Remember, this is the first creation account – no “forbidden fruit”
here!) And in “[blessing] the seventh day and [hallowing] it”, God has given us
both an example and a directive: as beings created in the divine image, it is
God’s intention that we take time to set aside work, cares, and stress, thus
allowing ourselves to draw closer to God and to enjoy and appreciate God’s
gifts to us.
But setting aside the things that keep us physically,
mentally, and emotionally busy is easier said than done! Some of us work too
hard. Some of us lie awake at night worrying about…all kinds of things. Some of
us allow stress to occupy our minds to the point where joy and relaxation seem
like foreign countries. The burdens of life can make us restless creatures. St.
Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) knew something about restlessness. In his Confessions, he wrote, “Thou hast made
us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in
Thee.” God’s desire for his creatures is that we give over our restlessness,
cares, worries and enter the heart of the Holy Trinity, where we find perfect
love, pure joy, and ongoing re-creation.
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