And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested . . . . (Genesis 2:2)

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters (Psalm 23:2)

I am truly thankful for God’s creation and example of rest. I need it.




God doesn’t need to rest. In fact, except for that one time, after creation, God hasn’t rested. In Psalm 121:3-4 the psalmist writes,“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”  And we are thankful and secure and at peace because of that attribute.

But Jesus did rest.

He rested spiritually (taking time to be alone with God).
He rested physically (falling asleep in the boat).
He rested mentally (pulling away from crowds who were demanding his attention).

Let’s face it. As much as we look forward to the holiday season and a chance to “rest,” the preparation and pace of this time can sometimes take its toll. We need to not only follow Jesus’s example but God’s commands.

The writer of compassion.com lists five ways God tells us to rest.

From work: “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work ....” (Exodus 23:1)
From trouble: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him ….” (Psalm 37:7)
From anxiety: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
From stress: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
From busyness: “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Most of us learned from our high school and college years that there came a point when continuing to try to study had a negative return.  We couldn’t retain any more information and our sharpness was waning. It was just better to go to bed. Somehow we have forgotten this concept in our parenting, working, and care-giving years.

But If God created, demonstrated, and commanded rest, and Jesus gave us the perfect examples of resting, then we should certainly do it. Take time this holiday season, amidst the hustle and bustle to . . . rest.

I know there is much division over the wearing of masks, but I would like to share a positive. I am noticing and looking into people’s eyes more.

I realized this the other day as I was sitting in the waiting room for my physical therapy appointment, (in hopes that the strengthening exercises will stave off the need for knee surgery). Since everyone was required to wear a mask, all I could see were their eyes. And you know what? Eyes really are the windows to the soul.

Some historians credit the origin of this adage to Matthew 6: 22-23 which says,

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness .…

And it is true. You can tell so much about a person just by looking into his or her eyes. Is she or he happy? Sad? Friendly? Shy? Worried? Kind? Bored? Disinterested? Loving? Excited?

One of my favorite book series is the Canadian author Louise Penny’s mystery novels. All of the characters are wonderfully developed but the one description Penny always inserts, because it is totally unexpected by the suspects, is a description of the main character’s, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, eyes––calm, confident and … kind. Those eyes are his primary character trait.

The eyes are the second most complicated organ in the body (the brain is the first) and convey the most complex of emotions, and for some (those who have lost the ability to speak) are the simplest form of communication.

We know this because often we find it hard to look into another’s eyes either out of guilt or fear––guilt because of what our own eyes will reveal or afraid of seeing what is in those other eyes (pain, rejection, hate, sometimes even love). I remember watching a segment of a morning news show about the homeless. The one constant that was expressed by those interviewed was that while people might look at them (though many didn’t even do that), no one would look them in the eye. Human connection often comes first through our eyes.

Another revelation that afternoon in the waiting room was, when all I could see was a person’s eyes, everyone was attractive. It was when the mask came off that I was suddenly detracted by the nose that was too big or the crooked teeth or sloping jaw. Suddenly, my connection turned to judgment.

I know I wrote not too long ago about the importance of listening, but I am suddenly convicted that we need also not to just look, but look into each others’ eyes, to truly see.

I realize I am taking the following verse completely out of context because it is referring to Jesus, but I believe we can still use it on a human to human level.

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear (Matthew 13:16).

My youngest sister has made beautiful prayer journals (see picture), where you can both write your request and record how God answered that request. Mom never even had a chance to write down her request. Here’s what happened.

My middle sister, who has Down Syndrome, is sixty-two years old, and this past year she suffered a fall and her health has declined until now she is pretty much bed bound. Though all of us visit Jamie when we are in town, Mom makes three regular visits a week to her group home to spend time with her. The challenge is how to use that hour that would be both meaningful and stimulating for Jamie.

Since Jamie can’t carry on an extended conversation, sometimes the minutes hang heavy. We sing and read her stories; rub her hands and legs with lotions, comb her hair, and feed her ice cream, but Mom was looking for something more. The suggestion came from her Bible study leader.

First of all, Mom’s Bible study is on prayer. Clue number one that something big was about to happen. Mom shared her dilemma with the group and asked them to pray about it. After the study, her leader (whose children took piano from my mother) suggested she buy a portable keyboard and play for Jamie.

Now the group home has a piano, and Mom had thought about playing it, but it is in the room furthest from Jamie’s room and not in the best of conditions. So Mom loved this idea and immediately went to a local music store that she had visited only once years before.

They had keyboards. Large, expensive ones, and not all that portable for Mom. She asked if they had anything smaller. They had one. About two feet in width, enough to play a melody, and with a handful of codes to provide some snazzy harmony and rhythms. It was perfect. But it had a scratch. Mom asked it they had a new one.

The owner disappeared . . . for quite a while . . . when he finally returned he looked a bit perplexed. They didn’t have a new one. In fact, according to their inventory, they didn’t even have the one Mom was holding. Now Mom looked perplexed. So what now? Could she not buy it?

The answer? The owner just gave it to her. Free. End of story. Prayer request answered before ever recorded. Well, almost end of story.

My mom being my mom, just couldn’t walk out of the store without paying for something. She now owns a new $8 book of music as well.

It was mile 5060 of the trip to Tennessee. We had just driven miles and miles (over 500) through a lot of Texas nothing when it happened. The check engine light came on. Never a good sign.

My cousin was driving, so I took our hotel in Las Cruces, NM off the GPS and quickly plugged in Toyota dealership in El Paso. There it was. Twelve miles up the road, first exit, and then less than a mile and right on the frontage road. That was the good part, but would anyone be able to help us? It was three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon.


We pulled in, went inside, and asked for help. When I told Fernando (I later learned his name) about the check engine light, his eyes grew wide. “That’s not good,” he said from behind his mask. I already knew that, but he wasn’t helping. He disappeared to get a sensor.

The issue was with the timing, but we hadn’t had any timing issues. The car was running fine. He told us sometimes something can just get on the timing mechanism and can cause the light to come on. Was that what was happening here? He didn’t know and there was no one in the department to run a diagnostic. We had two options: We could stay in El Paso until Monday and they could look at it, or he could reset it and we could just see if the light came on again. If it did, and no little shudders or reduction in speed occurred, we could just keep on driving. If timing issues did occur, we had options up the road: Limp into Tucson or Phoenix. After that there was nothing until we passed through the California deserts.

Three women with no car knowledge. Hmmm. But we did know we needed to get home, and so anything closer to California was good. We opted for the reset and prayed. We made it home with no issues. Sorry if you were looking for a more dramatic ending.

But God’s intervention was dramatic.

I have absolutely no idea why He allowed that engine light to come on, especially since there still doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the car. But He did, and he waited until after  500 miles of desolation and until we were twelve miles from civilization to alert us, and then He provided a dealership right on the highway, thereby lessening the panic.

Was there something up ahead He wanted us to avoid? Did He want us to slow down after hours of an 85 mile-an-hour speed limit? (We never went 85 but we certainly did now slow down out of caution.) Had he wanted us to meet real people in El Paso since all of our knowledge of that city had to do with border issues? Did He want us to meet Fernando specifically?

Again, I have absolutely no idea and probably won’t this side of heaven. BUT, I will tell you what I do know. That little incident refocused all three of us our very real and a very personal God, who takes you through desolate times and then places what you need right when and where you need it--even if you don't know why.