Rest

Rest

I am always struck by the ending of the creation story in Genesis — on the seventh day God rested.

• How can we bring more rest into our lives?
• How can we take a rest from our worries, our frustrations, our desire for things to be different?
• Can we look around and find what is good in life?

I am reading, The Joy of Full Surrender, by Jean Pierre de Caussade. He writes about not always seeking out holy circumstances, but rather finding holiness in all circumstances. In contemporary terms, this is about not always wanting things to be different, and finding what is right in the lives we are living. He continues to say that it isn’t always about external circumstances, but more often it’s about inward attitudes.

My mother would always remind me that it is one’s attitude that one has control over. Can I apply this wisdom to my daily life? I am going through a difficult period of insomnia right now, and I need to give myself rest from worrying about. I am using various things to help me, sometimes they help and sometimes they don’t. My attitude about what’s happening is critical to my well being. Sometimes, one has to accept one’s difficulties with love and acceptance.

How do you need to bring rest into this new year — physically, emotionally, and mentally?