The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Exodus 33:14
Rest is an essential part of life, and rest necessitates
our personal attention as a priority for mental and spiritual health reasons. How
many times have you ignored your body’s natural signs to take a break? I know I
have. For some reason, I often feel a strong need to get one more task on my
to-do list completed when it can probably wait until the next day. I put that
pressure on myself. I am the only person who can alleviate this stressful,
overbearing feeling by taking a moment to rest.
I can decide to center myself one more time for rest
and recollection of what matters most, or I can stress over the completion of
one more task. Through prayer, meditation, writing, taking a walk, and
sleeping, I try to remember what truly is important to me. Those first strong
reminders would be my own family, especially Lisa, my wife, and Annabelle, my
baby girl, and additionally my relationship with Jesus.
With quality family time, several jobs, four courses
full-time as a Ph.D. student, church activities, and exercising regularly, I
struggle to keep up with everything I think I "need to do." More
often than not these things can wait. They do not need to be done right this
second.
Sometimes these things should wait so I can rest right
now. Then I will recharge and perhaps have more energy to focus on the tasks at
hand, thus completing them faster than originally intended.
In my last moment, when I die, I am probably not going
to remember when I finished that last tedious difficult project. Typically one
does not say, “I sure am glad I got my grocery shopping done.” Or perhaps,
“Man, I am glad I took out the trash, so my house does not stink.” No, you will
remember times with family, spiritual break-through moments with God, and
once-in-a-lifetime trips around the world. No one says, “I am glad I got my
chores done before this final second.”
Holding my daughter while she sees bison gallop across
the plains of Yellowstone for the first time will be what I remember. Perhaps it
will be the first time she feels, tastes, and plays in the snow, or a blog
entry that touches the lives of my readers. It probably will not be my latest
academic research study I am bragging to angels about when I go to heaven. I
think you get the idea.
I challenge you to relax for a moment. Take a deep
breath. Thank God for the present moment you currently live in. Drink your
favorite microbrewery cold beer and chill out on the beach with toes in the
sand. Show yourself grace because grace in the God-sized memories will be what
you remember when you go home to heaven, not those regular mundane everyday
tasks. Remember what you truly believe matters right now. What matters to me is
that Annabelle also creates her God-sized moments. Focus on these things in the
present. What truly makes you happy in your most joyous times today? Remember
you have a legacy to live and a legacy to leave behind for those who really know
you. What will others say or remember about the person you are? What will your
own personal thoughts be on your final day?
Here are some of the latest Annabelle photos for your viewing enjoyment.
No comments:
Post a Comment