Rest and reading go together well.  Reading the right content can be inspirational, comforting, educational and restful in and of itself.  Resting can be healthy and rejuvenating for us as well.  Maybe that’s why our very Creator not only suggested rest, but listed it in ten rules of protection, what we know as the Ten Commandments.  The third commandment reads:

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exodus 20: 8-11):

8-“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9- Six days shalt thou labor, and do all your work: 10- But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it you shall not do any work…
11- For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

The Lord knew and still knows what we need.  He also created us to be in fellowship with Him.   He also is worthy of our time and our praise, away from the many distractions of this world. Time of praise, gleaning from God’s Word, and being in fellowship with other believers is essential to our walk with Christ.

If the Lord God Himself set the example of a day of rest, this routine must be important, right?  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it HOLY.  Optional?  Healthy?  Necessary…or not really?   Why do we think we know more than our Creator?

Rest can take many forms, but the best ways are when we remove ourselves from screens and noise:   sitting on the porch watching the birds, watching the sunset, going for a walk in the woods, reading a book in a comfy chair, taking an afternoon nap with the door open, drinking a cup of hot coffee in silence, and reading a devotion and just sitting and listening to what God might be saying.

Taking time to read with our children for little pockets of time throughout the week provides quiet, intimate moments that encourage rest.  We sit and talk, we teach about God’s creation, we assure them of how much we love them and how much God loves them.   Those kinds of conversations aren’t going to happen in the busyness of chaotic life.  But they may be the most significant conversations we have with our children.  Make Booking Time with Kids a habit, one that establishes a healthy and beautiful rhythm of rest and reading.  How amazing if this can happen each day…. but if not, there’s the Sabbath- a day where we are called to rest our minds, our bodies, our hearts, and our “homes”.

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe for a weekly idea- and share!