A Day of Rest by Patty Nicholas

As my wedding day approaches, an endless to do list grows to mountainous proportions, and a deadline is looming ominously. I have felt the Holy Spirit impress upon me the importance of maintaining a day of rest in my schedule. 

Sunday, after church, I had roughly six hours of time where I could have cleaned bathrooms, written on my work in progress, which is due in a few short weeks, or performed any plethora of other tasks that needed attention. 

Photo by Patty Nicholas

Instead of jumping into work, I sat down and prayed. I asked God to show me where to start on my extensive list. The next thing I knew it was two hours later. I had fallen asleep. Several years ago, as a new widow, I found myself on my own, trying to maintaining a home, working a full time job, babysitting my young grandson in the evenings, and starting my writing career. I sat with bible in hand, and prayed a very similar prayer. 

What God showed me then is equally true in my busy schedule of today. I needed to honor a day of rest. The Lord emphasized the importance of a rest in him by repetition. You can find the word Sabbath 146 times in the Old Testament, and 56 times in the New Testament. With a word repeated this many times, I took notice. 

Leviticus 24:8 Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 

Photo by Patty Nicholas

To rest is also a healthy practice. God knew what he was doing when he told us to take a day to honor Him, to reflect on His goodness, and to give our bodies a chance to recover so we can be ready for the next week to come. Let’s face it, we may think we know what our week will look like, but only God has seen tomorrow. 



But what about meeting my deadline, or what about my mile-long list? It is my sincere belief, that when I am in obedience to His will for me, then He will bless my efforts. I trust that everything I have committed to will get done in a timely manner.

God knew what he was doing when he told us to take a day to honor him, to reflect on his goodness and to give our bodies a chance to recover.

What about you? Are you tired, over worked and over committed? How do you rest? 

Multi award winning writer, Patty Nicholas lives in the mountains of North Carolina. She is a busy event planner for the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, and is a member of the Blue Ridge Writers Group. She is a mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of three. She writes Bible studies and devotionals as well as contemporary romance. Devotions are published in compilations by Lighthouse Bible Studies.

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Cool, Calm, and Connected by Zoe M. McCarthy

Because one of my accountability partners prayerfully chooses a guiding word each year, I decided that was a good idea. It didn’t take much prayer to discern my word.

Zoe M. McCarthy

I’m an insomniac. My teeth ache from grinding them together when I do sleep. My problem is not that I’m a big worrier. I’ve learned to respect God’s command not to worry. But I feel like I’m always behind and need more time, especially with three books in progress with three publishers and traveling to BSF Bible study two hours away and spending Monday nights in NC. I’ve asked God to help me be more efficient so I have time to chill. I’m tired of treating my teeth with the strongest version of Sensodyne.

So, my word for this year is calm. In January, I stopped asking God to help me be more efficient. I asked Him to help me learn how to be calm. I knew the answer had to be my next step in learning how to abide in Jesus. I wasn’t surprised when I sensed He called me to honor the Sabbath.

My Sabbath before I was called to calmness: Rise early and go up to my office, and after working on my personal Bible study and prayer, get an hour in on writing the Bible study I teach on Wednesdays and maybe fit in some writing tasks. Go to Sunday school and church. Fit in some blogging or writing work if John watches sports on TV in the afternoon. Plan my week and work while John attends the Sunday evening Bible study. Motive: make my workweek easier by getting ahead.

On my Sabbath now, I don’t do any of my writing, blogging, or platform work. I’ve joined John at the Sunday night Bible study. I decided to trust God and watch how he orchestrates my days so I get more work done in six days than I did in seven. Most of all, I’ve found honoring the Sabbath has been a learning process.

At first, I needed to implement an attitude change. I was also going through the motions without connecting much with God. I was enjoying the rest part too much! Then during my preparation to teach the Wednesday Bible study, God showed me that I could do good for others on the Sabbath as Jesus did. Now, during my Sabbath day, I write notes to people needing encouragement and enjoy activities that show others my love.

Next, I realized, besides intercessory prayer and completing my study questions for the BSF Bible study, I needed to sit with Jesus for a while. I now use a devotional to start the conversation.

So, in two and a half months, what has keeping a Sabbath done for my calmness? It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve been sleeping well, and my teeth don’t ache. I still sometimes feel I need more time, but in spending quality time with Jesus—time connecting with the Lord other than studying the Bible and praying intercessory prayers—I believe the pressure will decrease and calmness will be part of my new nature. And, my Sabbath day is becoming precious.

What might be your word for this year?

Prayerfully choose a word for the year to help you become the person God has called you to be. Click to Tweet.

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little-known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Her first novel is Calculated Risk. She has two more contemporary romances and a nonfiction book to help writers ready their manuscripts coming out soon. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John. 

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarth

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books