I am your typical type A personality. I am always armed with a To-Do list that I will never finish. I clean my kitchen and rather than stand back and appreciate my efforts, I criticize myself for the spot I missed in the fridge. I struggle to leave work at a certain time for there is always one more phone call to make or one more form to fill out. I can spend several hours weeding in my garden. Yet, I am never satisfied as there always another patch that needs to be done.
My Dad had a saying “ If you wanted something done, ask a busy person.” That would be me. Deep down, I know I can be depended on to get the job done and get it done well. However, I also know that I always can find more tasks to complete on any given project. Round and round I go.
Needless to say, I find it hard to take time and relax. Every Sunday, I try my best to find something that makes me sit in my big comfortable chair. Maybe it’s a good book, the local newspaper or even watching a short program on YouTube. For whatever reason, this doesn’t last long. I look around my lovely home and notice that the hearth needs dusting or I think to myself that I need to get up and balance my checkbook.
“Why do I do this to myself,” I ask. Why can’t I simply take some time to rest and relax? Why do I feel guilty when I have a few moments to sit? Isn’t one of the Ten Commandments—to have a day of rest?
I do know that when I take a few hours to sit and unwind each Sunday that I start my workweek feeling refreshed. I also feel more willing to tackle my to do list or assist someone else during the week ahead. A day of rest is important. A day of rests allows me to re-charge and re-connect with who I am and give thanks to God who created me.
“Remember the Sabbath day, and to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” – Exodus 20: 8-11
