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Rest, true rest, is coming and waiting for us in heaven.

Just as Ruth was in search of a kinsman redeemer to redeem her and Elimelech’s land and family line, we are in search of the only Redeemer who can redeem our lives. That Redeemer is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who lived the perfect life that He might die and be the perfect atonement, the only acceptable sacrifice to God for our sin. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Once Christ is our life, we must learn to rest and learn where our rest will come from. Learning to rest is challenging no matter what season of life you are in. But rest began during creation.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Genesis 2:2-3

This should be a mic drop for us if we are questioning why a human body even needs rest. God the Almighty had just spent 6 days creating the world, the universe and all that lived in it. But He didn’t need to rest! He is God! He does not get weary and need to sleep (Psalm 121:3-4). God is more powerful than the most powerful being we can imagine and then that won’t even compare with His might. But God rested and made that seventh day holy.

God commands His people to rest. It is one of the ten commandments given to Moses from God,

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

God Himself rested on the 7^th day, and He doesn’t request, He commands His people to rest on the 7^th day. This exercises trust that God will provide for you when you work only 6 days and keeping the 7^th in the week set apart from normal work week to rest.

 

When His people were in Egypt ruled by Pharaoh, the Lord wanted His people to worship Him. On their exile from Egypt to the Promised Land is when the Lord gave the commandment to the Israelites to rest on the seventh day. And the Israelites set their hopes on the Promised Land being place of security and rest. (Joshua 1:10-16) Elimelech and Naomi lived in this Promised Land with God’s people.

 

Rest is what Naomi wanted for Ruth, but it wasn’t a good night’s sleep that she desired for her. It was the security that would come with a husband in that culture because in that union was hope for children, hope for the future security and hope for the land given by God to be given to the child. While marriage provided the hope and image of security, it was only God who could provide what Naomi was truly hoping for.

 

We are searching too

We are no different from Naomi and from Ruth. Though our culture looks different and all our hopes and dreams as women do not rest upon the possibility of marriage or having children, we are still searching for security and rest. This type of security and rest is much deeper than job security, a steady income, a safe neighborhood and place to lay our head. Even on the most beautiful relaxing day at the beach or the lake, the most serene place where we would expect to find rest from our physical weariness, even on those days, there is still a restlessness searching for true, deep, profound rest for our souls. Rest from weariness, yes. But rest from worry. Rest from pain. Rest from the heartaches and unknowns. Rest for all that distracts and makes us rattled.  Where can we run to find this true rest?

As believers in Christ, we are searching for rest that turns into rejoicing.

On our journey heavenward, on our journey home, we know that true rest awaits us where Jesus Christ is Himself. Where there is no more striving, no more worrying, no more crying – only resting and savoring and worshiping our great Redeemer.

As we wait and strive toward heaven, I want to leave you with two things to challenge you as I challenge myself:

 

1. Rest on the Sabbath

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9-10

Once we see Sunday’s as a gift from the Lord and as a way to trust Him to provide for us and to provide the time we need in the week to actually rest on Sunday, we will enjoy and find refreshment in a weekly break from the grind. Instead of dreading the day designed for rest, it will be a blessing and a day we look forward to.

 

2. Strive to enter the rest that is waiting in heaven for you by being diligent to be in and to know the Word of God.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13

Let the Word of God do the work of God in your life. No one can expose sin, lies and how we are not living by faith the way God can through His Word. As sin is exposed, we have the joy of repenting and taking this to the cross, knowing our Redeemer is there pouring out His grace and mercy and loving kindness on us.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

 

The Challenge to Actually Rest

The theme of rest in the Bible is not about a good night rest, or even the physical feeling of being rested. Rest is turning our eyes toward Christ, trusting in Him and believing in who He is.

Trusting/resting that we cannot earn our salvation by good works, but only through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Trusting/resting that He truly is Sovereign over all things. (Romans 8:28-29)

Trusting/resting that I am a child of God once my life is fully & completely surrendered, and no one can snatch me out of the Sovereign Father’s hands. (John 10:28)

Trusting/resting that my eternal home is in heaven. (John 10:28)

Trusting/resting that even when I feel my loneliest, I am not alone. God Himself is with me. (Matthew 28:20)

 

Resting is all of these things and so much more when we walk with Christ. Let us strive heavenward together my friend. And there, we will find the deepest rest our souls will ever know. When we are home, face to face with our Savior, there will be no more striving or worrying or pain, only worshiping and resting in God almighty.

 

This post and photos are copyright by Mimi Brady No Ordinary Day Planner 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fighting for Rest

The word “rest” is used, if not thought about by weary parents, too many times in one day for any human to attempt to count. From the moment of the child’s arrival, the parent is constantly thinking about not just the child’s need for rest, but their own.

As parents, we quickly learn the signs that our child is tired, regardless of their age. And at the same time, no parent needs a memo or word of encouragement that they themselves need rest.

But what is good rest, especially in the season of motherhood when nights of uninterrupted sleep are sometimes only viewed as a gift that you’re waiting to receive and unsure of its arrival. Is it a nap? Is it sleeping in with no alarm clock? And why does it feel that even if we get that wonderful night of uninterrupted sleep, there’s something deep in our soul and in our body that is not satisfied with that rest that doesn’t seem to last?

Should we be thinking about what rest is differently?

 

Rest in the Bible

A common theme throughout the Bible is rest. We usually think about the common theme of redemption woven through the books of the Bible, and we should. But did you know that rest is also talked about from Genesis and through to Revelation?

The book of Ruth has rest as one of its major themes. Usually when you think about the book of Ruth, one thinks about God’s providence in all things. Or, one thinks about Boaz being the kinsman-redeemer for Ruth and that act of redeeming Ruth turns our eyes to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. Lastly, we often think about the lineage of Jesus as we watch the family of Boaz and Ruth give birth to Obed, who is the father of Jesse, who is the father of king David, which on down the line is then King Jesus. We often don’t realize that rest, and the search for rest in our lives, is addressed in the book of Ruth.

 

The Quest for Rest

Naomi wanted “rest” for her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. After losing her husband and her two sons, Naomi stood facing the only family she had left in the foreign land of Moab, bid them farewell as she was returning home to Bethlehem and said to them, “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” (Ruth 1:9) Was Naomi wanting them to remarry and have a good night’s rest? No. That would be far easier to accomplish than what Naomi was really wanting for Orpah and Ruth. Naomi wanted them to have security, a safe place to live and to have children which would bring future security. In the depths of grief, Naomi wanted for them what she had lost, and what she at the time believed she would never have again.

It’s difficult for us to imagine the heartbreak and trauma this family experienced. Together, Elimelech, Naomi and their two sons left the Promised Land to live in Moab, a place Moses had instructed the Israelites not to go and a people they were not to befriend because the Moabites did not aid the Israelites while on their exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 23:3-6). In fact, the king of Moab hired a diviner to put a curse on them to get them out of the land of Moab (Numbers 22-24).

The future must have looked too grim and too bleak for the head of the family, Elimelech, to stay in the Promised Land the Lord had given them, which for this family was Bethlehem. With a famine in the land, Elimelech moved his family to a foreign land, Moab, in hopes of a better life. While there, his two sons married Moab women, but after ten years of life in Moab, there were no children born to his sons. Ten years! Ten years of infertility in a time when children were quite literally everything – security to carry on the family name, land and inheritance.

After ten years, Naomi was the only one left from this family unit. And it was time to return home to Bethlehem, to return to the Promised Land, broken, empty and with no hope in having security in her life again. Naomi is in such depths of despair that upon arriving home, she insists to be called Mara instead of Naomi because “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).

 

Grief is many things.

The one thing it is not: it is not restful.

Grief takes everything out of you and leaves you feeling emotionally depleted and exhausted in ways you never thought possible. Even after nights of sleep and what the body would consider rest, a soul filled with grief wakes up with heaviness that leaves the body and mind filled with weariness as though sleep never came. Grief is not just emotional, it affects every aspect of your being.

In the depths of grief, it’s not hard to question if happy days will ever come again and for the whole world to feel covered in sadness. Grief opens up depths of the soul that you didn’t know were there, and feelings of loneliness and deep sadness can be experienced even when surrounded by people who love you most.

So Naomi, in the depths of her grief and in her loss, bids farewell to her two daughters-in-law and wishes for them what she wants most in the world for herself, rest.

Where do you run for rest? Tomorrow we will talk about Naomi’s search and where she went looking for rest. What do you do when grief is just too much to bear? Who do you run to?

The Search for Rest

Naomi does not return home to Bethlehem alone. Ruth, one of her daughters-in-law, vows her life to Naomi and leaves behind her family in Moab and all the possibilities of what life would have been like to stay home, and she gives her life to her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16-17).

And now Ruth is the foreigner living in a foreign land, grieving all that she has lost and caring for her grief-stricken mother-in-law.

Instead of physically resting, Ruth goes to work to provide food for herself and for Naomi. Word about this Moabite living among the Israelites quickly gets around town. And in God’s providence, Ruth works in a field that is owned and operated by a relative of her father-in-law. This man is known to be a worthy, godly man (Ruth 2:1) and the moment he learns who Ruth is, he quickly asks her to stay in his field to gather wheat. He instructs his workers to look after and care for her with water and protection, and he prays a blessing over Ruth for “the Lord to repay her for what she has done” (Ruth 2:12). This man is Boaz. And throughout the entire barley and wheat harvest, he looks after her physical needs and showers kindness over not only Ruth, but Naomi as well.

But Naomi still wants “rest” for Ruth (Ruth 3:1).

 

Grief stricken Naomi becomes scheme ridden Naomi

Naomi comes up with a plan for Ruth to propose marriage to Boaz. A plan that is so scandalous that even in today’s culture if a mother-in-law instructed her daughter-in-law to do anything similar, everyone would easily be convinced that the mother-in-law had simply lost her mind.

Ruth 3 is filled with scandal, but Naomi instructs Ruth to wash, to anoint herself and to put on her cloak to go down to the threshing floor where Boaz was working and to wait until he has had nice meal after a long day of work and then goes to bed guarding the wheat grains from his field. Then, Ruth is to lie down next to him. In the dark of the night and wait for his instruction.

In the process of getting ready, Ruth does all that her mother-in-law instructs. She washes. She anoints. She dresses. These three steps are the same thing king David did after his first born son with Bathsheba died after being sick for six days (2 Samuel 12:20). Ruth washes, anoints and puts on new clothes readying for a new season of life. And Ruth does all that her mother-in-law instructs.

At this point of the story, it seems that “rest” comes in the form of a husband. But is that what Naomi is really after?

 

The Results of the Scandal

When Ruth goes in the night to lie next to Boaz and ask him to be the kinsman redeemer, to marry her, she is asking Boaz to continue Elimelech’s family name through her and to buy the land that belongs to Naomi in hopes to carry on this family inheritance and name. The REST Ruth is in search of goes beyond wanting a husband. Ruth is asking for security not just for her, but also for Naomi.

 

More is to come! Join me next week for part 2 of “Rest for Weary Women”.

 

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To My Child as You Start School:

Dear son, I know you are excited and nervous as we begin a new adventure- a new school year! All those feelings of uneasiness you’re having is simply you processing how you feel about the unknown. There are a few things I want to remind you – and myself about – as we begin the school year together. You may think I am silly to remind you of these truths, but know that these truths are reminders for me, too.

 

1. Everyone is created in the image of God. Every boy. Every girl. Classmates who dress like you and those who dress differently from you. Each one is created in the image of God just like you are created in the image of God. The Bible says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). This means that you do not have the right to be unkind, unloving, or rude in your words and actions with your classmates. This applies to your teacher and any parent that walks in the classroom to assist your teacher. God made each person in His likeness, and though we look different with different colors of skin, different styles of clothing, and have different beliefs and backgrounds – each of us is made in God’s image. Therefore, I expect you to treat each person with kindness in love knowing that the God of the universe made them just as He made you.

 

2. Give your very best. I do not expect you to excel and be perfect in everything, but I do expect you to give your very best. School is so much fun, but it is also meant to challenge and to grow you. New skills take time to learn, so do not expect to master each one the first time you try. Give yourself grace by giving yourself patience and time to learn and to try. Never be afraid to ask questions; that’s part of learning! And my son, giving your best is easiest when there’s no grumbling.

 

3. You will fail. At some point, at something…you will fail. And it is okay. Your dad and I love you deeply because of who you are and because you are a gift to us from the Lord. We do not measure you by your grades or by your skills. Your performance in school is not a measure of your worth or a measure of our love for you. It is also not a measure of God’s love for you. God’s love is unfailing and perfect. And nothing can separate you from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). God loves you when you make great grades, and His love is the same when you do not make great grades. God’s love for you does not change because God does not change (James 1:17).

 

4. You are not alone. Though your dad and I are not in the classroom with you, God is with you. When you feel alone, or scared, or nervous remember that you can talk to God and tell Him how you feel. Then, remind yourself of His promise to never leave you nor forsake you but to be with you (Joshua 1:9). He is right there with you and will not leave you (Psalm 139:7). Remember this truth, too when you are tempted to do something that is not honoring to the Lord. Though you might think you will not be seen, God sees and knows everything.

 

5. Be grateful. You have a unique opportunity to have an education. There are so many children around the world who do not have the opportunity to go to school. When you experience frustration and might feel like giving up, take time to tell the Lord thank you for the opportunity to go to school, to learn, and to have an education. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 

My son, I am excited to see what the new school year holds. I am excited to see how you will grow academically and in your character as a young sir throughout the year. I am also excited to see how you will grow in your relationship with the Lord this year. These simple truths are not just for you, but are for me to remember, too. And my son, always remember, we love you so much! But most importantly: God loves you the most!

 

Lord, we pray for this new school year for our child. We thank you that he has the opportunity to receive an education. We ask that throughout the year, we would keep our eyes on You. Give us courage and love to truly love others the way that You love. Give us eyes to see and give us love to treat others with kindness, even when it’s hard. We pray that our child will grow not just in academics and new skills, but that he would grow in his relationship with You. We pray that no matter what happens this school year, he will remember and know that Your love is greater than anything else in this life. Thank you for your promise to never leave nor forsake us. And thank You for the calling of being a parent. We love you and surrender this school year and our child to you, In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Copyright © 2017 by Mimi Brady No Ordinary Day Planner. All rights reserved.

 

Have you ever wondered what makes your days count? As a stay at home to two small children, my days look very similar from day to day. The hours are filled with what appear to be ordinary events and mundane tasks. Reading books, preparing meals, washing dishes and the loads of laundry – it is not long before the hours of each day are filled up. I end up feeling like nothing was accomplished, except for the pile of once dirty clothes that are now clean…although likely not yet folded.

The days felt and appeared extremely ordinary.

I have recently challenged myself to see every day as though it was not ordinary, and that includes each part of my day that appears mundane. This does not mean that our days are filled with amazing adventures. Life is a series of uneventful visits to the grocery store, meal planning, and tackling all that laundry. The challenge is to see that the mundane moments are moments that train, and are gifts from the Lord.

Gifts From the Lord

Seeing each day and each person in my life as a gift has completely changed my daily perspective. My sweet husband is a gift from the Lord. Each of my children is a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Each friendship that comes into my life is a gift from the Lord. Every day that the Lord wakes me up with breath in my lungs is a gift from the Lord! Having this change of mind has helped me become a grateful person, and I am now less likely to take these sweet gifts for granted. While this sounds like a “no brainer”, when you’re in the daily grind it’s easy to lose perspective and take people for granted. We are not guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:13-14), and I want to love and treasure the gifts and the people in my life every day. When I actually do that, gratitude turns to joy throughout my day.

The Mundane Moments Train Us Up

All those mundane moments throughout our days are not wasted moments. God is using them to train, sanctify and teach us how our theology matters in the everyday moments.

The list can go on about what the mundane is training in our lives. This looks different for me in the different seasons of life, but knowing that these mundane moments are training me and my children is life-giving. Yes, the dishes are waiting from the night before, and the laundry is still in the washing machine. But taking on these daily tasks with a smile instead of my usual grumbling changes my attitude for what’s next and shows my little people that joy is possible in these daily moments.

The mundane moments are far from ordinary. We just have to look to the Lord to see these ordinary moments  sanctifying us to be like Christ from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). Lord willing, the ordinary days will be building blocks for our children to come know the Lord because they see our gratitude.

But How?!

Seeing each day as a gift, and seeing the mundane moments of our life as daily gifts, is a moment by moment challenge! For example, doing the dishes used to put me in a bad mood every night. After a challenge from a friend, I put Scripture verses on my kitchen window to memorize, and a list of people to pray for while I did the dishes. Some nights I played praise music to sing along with. If I did the dishes in the morning, I’d say the Scripture out loud and have my kids repeat the verse with me. This was a game changer. Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? But it changed my outlook and my attitude. Mom was no longer grumpy after doing dishes, but happy and ready to move on to what was next.

I can easily lose perspective that every person and every day is a gift from the Lord. After reading Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ book “Choosing Gratitude”, I started journaling. Nancy Leigh DeMoss challenged her readers to write five different things they were grateful for at the end of each day. I took Nancy up on her challenge. I made sure to include at least one thing I was grateful for about my sweet husband. This was life-giving to our whole family, not just to me! I went to bed with a grateful heart, and less worried about tomorrow or the items from my to-do list that were not accomplished that day.

Seeing each day as anything but ordinary sounds simple enough, but for me it takes daily training. The most important part of my daily training is being in God’s Word and spending time with Him. It is tough to carve out time to read and meditate on the Word of God, but this time is needed as it is shaping and focusing our hearts and minds on God for the day. Whether we are nursing babies, chasing high energy toddlers, working a full-time job, our days are filled with mundane moments. Our theology matters in these mundane moments. When we choose to be grateful that our laundry baskets that are full instead of frustrated, we are glorifying the Lord. When we sing praise songs to the Lord while doing dishes instead of grumbling, we are glorifying the Lord. When the crayons found the walls instead of paper and we respond with calmness in our disciple, we are glorifying the Lord. We can glorify the Lord in the mundane moments as our theology comes to life!

So, I pray the verse that Moses prayed to the Lord in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days that we may have a heart of wisdom.” Lord, help us to be life-givers and to see each day and each person in our lives as gifts from you. Remind and teach us that the mundane moments train us to know you better, and at the same time, these moments are displaying our view of you to our friends and our family. May we bring you glory in every moment, even while washing dishes!