Ruth 3:3-4
When he lies down, observe the place where he
lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to
do.”
Make a plan to rest.
That doesn’t sound like rest. It's an oxymoron. Making a plan sure
seems more like work than it does rest. Yet have you ever gone on vacation on
the fly? I have. A long time ago my family and I decided to go away on a long
weekend on the spur of the moment. So, we took the kids and my sister and
headed on to what had promised to be a well-deserved time of fun and
relaxation. It was about a fifteen-hour trip. What we did not count on was that
it was the New Year weekend. We left early in the morning and everything was
fine. We talked and laughed, all with the expectation of the time ahead. As
evening came, I asked my husband where we would be spending the night. To this,
he answered, “We’ll find a place soon.” Wait, what? No reservations? “Oh, there
will be plenty of places along the highway. Sure enough, we stopped at one of
them. No vacancy. We kept going. No vacancy. We kept going…and going…and going.
At about two in the morning, the attendant told us that some people coming down
had told him there was nothing available for more than 100 miles. To make a
long story short, that night we all slept in the car, under the big sign of a
Waffle House. It was an unusually cold December night, and all we had was our
body heat to keep us warm. The one good thing about it was that at least
breakfast was right there.
I tend to think that Naomi knew something about doing things
on the fly. Maybe she remembered when, years before, she and her husband took
off for Moab. I wonder if that was a planned move. While planning is the key to
everything we do, and most of us are pretty good at it, unfortunately, rest is
the one thing that usually gets put on the back burner. We get so busy doing
everything that is demanded and expected of us. Mothers are overwhelmed with
caring for their children. Wives feel trapped trying to fulfill what is
expected of their role. Single, career women stress about advancing and doing
the work of two for the price of one in a culture of male supremacy. It doesn’t
matter the situation. #getittogethergirl. You need to rest. Go ahead and
give yourself permission, and make a plan to set aside some time to leave the
work behind for a little while. Whether it is a 5-minute coffee break all by
yourself on the porch, or a stroll through the park every Saturday. Whatever it
is. Just plan to do it. Plan the time. Plan what you will do once you get
there. Wash and anoint yourself. Put on your best cloak and go to Him.
I repeat, make a plan. Rest. He did. He worked all week and
rested on the seventh day. He made a plan for us to find rest in him and not
carry all our burdens alone. He does not leave us widowed. He is our Boaz. He
is our great redeemer. Recharge. Lie down at the feet of your Redeemer and let
him cover you and tell you what to do.
Father, here I am. I have washed and anointed myself and put
on my best clothes to come to you. I need rest. I need to lie at your feet and
feel the warmth of your love that tells me. You are doing ok. I need your
strength for what is coming next. I need your peace, your discernment, your
grace. Allow me to recharge here next to you, because that is the only true
peace and rest that I can ever experience. In the name of Jesus, amen.
My reflections:
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first
sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Luke 14:28
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