One Sunday morning recently, I poured myself a cup of my new decaf Italian Espresso Roast from Dean’s Beans. Then, donning my Red Sox hoodie and yoga pants, I made my way to the big chair that sits in the corner of our living room. I picked up one of my favorite books that I haven’t read in years and prepared to settle in for some much desired chill time. Only,

I couldn’t focus.

The list of the things I could or should be doing started growing in my brain. After being sick for a good chunk of January, I felt so behind. Sitting in my living room, I began to feel pulled mentally and emotionally in a slew of different directions. 

Until finally, I heard the spin cycle begin in our washer. It reminded me I had already thrown in a load of wash and sorted another. The kitchen had had dishes in the sink that morning before we even made breakfast, but it was now clean and everything was put away. I also had showered, I just needed to dry my hair. And,

It was Sunday.

The day we’re all supposed to rest. Only sometimes, life makes us feel like we haven’t earned our fifteen minute break. That we need to work harder, longer, faster, etc. And boy, was I feeling it that morning. 

Last month, I asked some of my facebook friends, “What is one thing you wish someone told you about being an adult?” One of my friends said: “There is never ever a time when there aren’t dishes or laundry to be done. Ever.” Which is so true! But not just for our laundry and dishes. 

Each and every one of us can probably think of other areas in our lives where it feels as if the work or our responsibilities are never ending. Where it seems as if we will never be finished. All of these thoughts remind me of two stories in the Bible.

First, it makes me think of the Israelites in the desert. We are told they had no food so God sent manna right outside their tents every day. Only, they couldn’t stock up one day and sleep in the next, because the manna would spoil. They had to get up every morning and collect the food God had sent them.

The other story this reminds me of is about a woman at a well. Showing up in the heat of the day to draw her water, she met Jesus. There He told her of a water that if she drank it, she would never have to thirst again. She pleaded with him for this water because she was tired of having to go to the well every day. 

Now, the way God provides for us today may not always be as concrete as manna right outside our door. And if you’ve studied the story of the woman at the well, you know the water Jesus was talking about is a relationship with Him that fills the emptiness in our souls, not the physical thirst of our bodies. But both stories remind us that, on this earth, our work for survival will never be finished. 

If our work will never be finished, isn’t it that much more important for us to make time to rest?

There will always be groceries to buy, bills to pay, and dishes to wash. But here’s the part of this truth we have the hardest time believing: If our work will never be finished, isn’t it that much more important for us to make time to rest? To trust our work will still be there tomorrow, and that by resting we will be able to do it that much better?

It feels counterintuitive. I know, because I was certainly struggling to believe it that Sunday morning in my living room. But this is what I am learning: 

Our job as adults isn’t to do ALL the things. We aren’t God. In fact, in the case of the Israelites and the manna, we are told they could collect more manna on the sixth day, because it would last through the seventh. God didn’t have them collecting manna on the seventh day because He wanted them to rest. 

When faced with a growing to do list, our reaction is often to freak out and work harder. But I believe God is inviting us to see beyond our list. To learn to prioritize, let go of impossible timelines or expectations, make time for rest, and then do our next right thing.

Where in your life do you feel the work is never finished?

Where do you struggle to rest, but need to?

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