On Azimuth

² It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2

            In the previous edition of Mountain Musings, I spoke about the need to rest, to observes some sort of Sabbath. Despite our current culture, which has enshrined the forty-hour work week and weekends in law, when I speak with friends, I find that many of them struggle to rest. One good friend laid out his weekly schedule. There was no free time. Every day was filled with important activities. Indeed, I too struggle with this. I missed three weeks of putting out a Mountain Musing video or essay due to a full schedule. We had many things to do, all of them good things. They crowded the calendar, making it difficult to find time to take a pause and rest. Despite this, I believe that making time to rest is a necessary, and indeed, a Godly thing. I’ve listed a few steps we might take to find time to rest in our daily schedules.

⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

            First, we need to pray. If we seek to engage in Sabbath rest but are finding it difficult to set aside the time, we should approach the throne of God. He will help us with clarity regarding this subject. Remember the admonition of James.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

If we want to make such a significant change in our lives, we ought to first seek the guidance and counsel of God. He will provide what we need.

            Second, sit down and lay out what you do each week. This list should include all of your regular activities. My friend laid out his week for me. This was something he’d been thinking about. After you lay out all your regular activities, label them as things you much do and things you like to do. You may find that some of the things you do on a recuring basis are not as imperative as you think. Sometimes we let the mundane fill up our days and do not even realize it. If our weeks are as full as we think, and most are, we must start to set priorities.

³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:34

When my daughter was in Junior High School she was offered the opportunity to join an accelerated program, one designed to help prepare participants for college. Eagerly we enrolled her in the program. After a couple of months she made this comment, “I’m glad that we eat supper at the table. It is the only free time I have during the day.”

            Intrigued, I asked her to describe her schedule to me. After a full day at school, she came home, ate a snack, and immediately started on her homework. After a break for supper, she spent the rest of the evening doing homework. Her day was full of work. On the weekends she spent her days working on assignments. I scheduled a meeting with her principal, thinking that perhaps we’d overestimated her abilities. Her principal said that was what they expected for students in that program. Christy and I did not think that was appropriate and disenrolled her from that program. I believed, and still do, that kids need some time just to goof off and enjoy unstructured time. We had to sit down and prioritize what was important.

            As the scripture says, look for our treasure, there is where we will find our heart. What does your schedule say about what you treasure? We make choices about what to fill our days with. Of course, we all have busy seasons; times when outside demands shape our days. When I was a commander in the Army, my days were very full. Command is a demanding job; but, eventually I left command and its attendant rigors. Sometimes I speak with people who endure grueling work schedules. Do our desires for more possessions drive those long hours? Sometimes our previous choices drive our schedules, and it may take time to crawl out from underneath their weight. We may not like what they say about our priorities, but a careful examination of our schedules reveals much about what we think is important.

            Thirdly, we need to be willing to submit our plans to the Lord.

² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

            Our culture seems to hate white-space on our calendar. We feel great pressure to fill each day with meaningful or profitable activities. We’ve bought into the belief that a day given over to unstructured downtime is somehow wasteful. The Lord calls us to a different lifestyle, and this should include a willingness to take some time to rest. This requires faith on our part, faith that the Lord will provide for our needs and that what the world disdains is actually quite profitable.

            Finally, while a Sabbath time is part of the traditional Christian disciplines, we must not let an emphasis on it, or any other of the disciplines, grow into legalism. There is an implied freedom associated with the Sabbath. We should not turn that freedom into chains. What works well for me in my approach to a Sabbath-Rest, may not work well for you. Let us deal graciously with each other, trusting the Lord to guide each of us into a closer wilk with Him.

Thought Questions:

1.  Have you prayerfully sought God’s influence or guidance regarding rest…or Sabbath?

2.  What do your activities say about your priorities?

3.  Are there things that you do that you do not need to do?

4.  How do you set your priorities?

5. How much time do you need to rest?