When the “Five Days of Prayer” is on the horizon, I significantly adjust my responsibilities and schedule to devote at least eight hours daily to prayer. But I picked up this nasty head cold and have been at home all week in bed or sitting in my recliner instead. I have been participating in the prayer time via Zoom, but after about two hours, I find it very hard to concentrate on the words when I can’t see the people praying on my iPad screen very well. So I switch to working on my Scripture Memory, Bible reading, writing, and book reading. As a result, I am getting extra time on each of those disciplines, which is nice as a change of pace. I have been enjoying this extra rest, sleep, and extra time on spiritual disciplines so much that I think I will plan on a sick week every month. Patty asked how I was going to make that happen, and I said that I would pretend that I was sick; after all, I used to do that when I was in grade school, and she responded by saying, “Well, don’t expect me to wait on you ‘hand and foot.'” Sheesh, here I thought I had married a good wife! She probably won’t let me breathe on her in the middle of the night, either!

All of that to say, “rest” is a part of God’s agenda for our lives. I do a pretty good job establishing periodic rest times in my life, and as I have gotten older, I have increased those as needed. Many times, for me, rest isn’t just sitting and sleeping but just a change of activity and routine. I go on a month-long bicycle trip each summer, riding about 70 miles daily, listening to sermon podcasts while I ride, and reading and writing in the evening. It is an excellent change of pace that keeps me healthy in my body, my mind, and my emotions. I used to take one day off each week from ministry responsibilities, but now I take two, at least from activities where I am speaking, leading, or involved in church activities.

When I was a kid cutting firewood with my Dad, he would stop regularly and sharpen the blade on his saw. It would take 15 or 20 minutes, and he would occasionally say, “It takes extra time to keep your saw sharp, but if you didn’t take that time soon, you wouldn’t be cutting much wood. That is how rest is in life; if you take periodic rests, your brain works better, you have more energy, and you have a much better attitude about life.

Remember, watching television, playing video games, reading the news, and other such activities aren’t effective rest times. Reading the Bible, reading good books, listening to good podcasts, praying, writing, painting, working on your 1969 Mustang, fishing, and sleeping is.