I recently discovered a little taste of Heaven here on Earth. My discovery came none to soon. I love what I do, but I must admit, I had grown tired and weary of the daily grind.
In Genesis 2:2 it says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work.”
I am not very good at resting. There always seems to be something urgent that needs attention. Working hard is admirable, but being a workaholic can do more harm than good. Busyness can be addictive.
Keeping your nose to the grindstone dulls your awareness to the relational needs of those you care for most. In our commitment to providing and being the best, we often sacrifice moments in time we can never recover.
The busyness of life can quickly rob us of our baby’s first kick in mommy’s tummy, the first steps of a toddler or the native voyage of a child on a bike without training wheels. If we aren’t careful, we will look back and wonder where all the time has gone. Little league games are no more, caps and gowns gather dust in attics, our kids have kids, and we are soon grandparents.
Perhaps the most tragic loss of all is struggling to relate to the loyal spouse who has been with us through it all. A family was raised, but a marriage suffered, vague memories and good intentions fail to fill the void. We were present in body, but absent in mind and spirit. Life happened, and somehow we missed it.
God recently gave me an incredible gift. After 20 years of marriage, I received a wake up call on the island of Kauai, the Garden Isle of Hawaii. Kauai is a tropical paradise with sparkling sand beaches, lush forests and beautiful waterfalls. Is there any wonder why God required rest after creating such a wonderful masterpiece? If this is what a fallen world looks like, what must God have in store for us in Heaven?
More than a place, I found Kauai to be a state of mind. Its atmosphere of peace and tranquility took us away from the frantic, if only for a while. The worries of the world melted away as God ministered to our lives through His creation. As we walked the beach at sunrise, Proverbs 8:30-32 came to mind, “. . . I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence, rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind.”
Life is hard work, but even God took time to rest. If we aren’t careful, we will find ourselves at the end of the road with no stories from the journey. Getting there is the best part. Living in the moment, in the light of His love, is a wonderful thing. How sad to write the book only to discover the pages blank upon reflection. We must learn to rest, reflect and renew.
Certainly our souls find rest in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” His rest is eternal. It begins in the here and now.
