A Day Of Rest

This might be a new personal record for "most blog entries in one day", but considering that I've been literally stuck in the house all day, there just hasn't been that much to do. Which is actually what I'm writing about tonight. About an hour ago the difficult decision was made to cancel our service tomorrow morning. That's something that nobody ever wants to do, and yet it was clearly the right decision to make. Many if not most of the other churches around our area have done the same, so all of those folks will be staying home and sleeping in...

...and I can't help but think that it's probably what God wanted.

If I could use one word to describe the people that I know (and I'm including myself here) recently, it would be tired. We're worn down, we're sick, we barely have enough energy to keep going, and yet we forge on. We push ourselves as hard as ever (harder than we should), because we don't think we can afford to slow down. But in the process, I think we often forget that we owe God our best worship. Not what we have left over at the end of the week, not what we manage to scrounge up on Sunday morning, but our first fruits, the best offering, the prime sacrifice. Is it possible that we've come to the point where we're not able to give that because we've simply stretched ourselves too thin?

And then, practically out of nowhere, it snows 20 1/2 inches in 24 hours and brings the busyness of our lives to a grinding halt. People will curse nature and even God for causing it, but it certainly reminds us of something important: we are not in control here. Is it possible that this was God's way of putting the proverbial foot down? Of telling us that we need to rest? I know that I'm feeling pretty good after a full day at home with very little to do. I imagine I'll be quite refreshed by Monday morning. What are the odds that I'll have more energy, more passion, more excitement in my worship time this week? I think they're pretty good. Amazing what a day of rest can do.

Maybe next time it won't take 20 inches of snow to remind us.