Thursdays - Devotions for WritersI said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest - (Psalm 55:6 NIV)
I hated naps as a child.
I didn’t see the point.
Why should I be forced to lie down and rest when I didn’t feel tired?
Summer evenings were brutal. From an open bedroom window I could hear older children in the neighborhood still playing outside. I’d toss and turn in bed while the sun still shone for another hour.
What a waste.
My parents told me that when I grew up I’d feel differently about bedtime. I’d look forward to it.
I didn’t believe them.
As a busy adult I tend to push the limits. There are often more things to do in a day than there is time to accomplish them.
How differently I feel now when I crawl under the covers and lay my head on the pillow. I sigh with contentment at how good it feels to rest. My parents were right.
As writers, many of us struggle with finding balance in our lives. If we’re working diligently on our manuscripts, articles, or blogs, we may worry that we’re neglecting time with our families. While watching TV with our spouse or playing a board game with our children, we may internally feel pressure to get back to the computer.
It feels like there isn’t any time for rest.
There isn’t time to just sit and read a book for pleasure.
Or sip coffee while lounging on the back deck of our home.
Because we need to get that chapter written—that blog posted—and the multitude of emails answered.
But God knew how important it was for us to rest.
He told us to devote one day a week to it.
Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day, you shall rest.” (Exodus 34:12 NIV)
It’s a good reminder for me that it’s okay to rest.
And perhaps . . . just perhaps . . . if I listen to Him, I’ll have enough energy and inspiration to whip off that chapter in no time.
Dawn
