One day, Jesus and His disciples were busy sharing the gospel with a group of people. They did not even have time to have a meal. Immediately, Jesus said to them: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Sharing the gospel is the most important task for every Christian. When it comes for a time to rest, however, Jesus would still instruct His disciples to put down their work and rest. Having appropriate rest is important. Sufficient rest allows us time to recharge so as to continue the tasks God has given us. For this reason God has given us a rest day in a week. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11).
God wants us to put aside all our work on Sabbath day to rest. Rest is not obtained merely with sleep and relaxation, but with fellowship and gathering with friends and family, as well as by worshipping the Lord. When we were meet with our friends and family, these interactions help us manage psychological adjustments and support. When we worship God, mediate on His Word and remember His Grace, we will be strengthened spiritually. In this way, the obtain rest for the body and soul. Resting does not lie in its quantity but quality. When one’s heart is troubled, no amount of sleep brings rest. On the other hand, too much holiday time with nothing meaningful to do, but sleeping the whole day, one becomes dispirited. The more one sleeps, the more unmotivated they become. Too much rest makes us lazy. This brings no benefit but harm to our body and mind. Rest should build us up spiritually. Therefore, if we are to experience true rest, we need to be able to do it accordance to God’s way. “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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Drawing close to God is the beginning of true rest. Therefore, before we plan any activity for our holidays, please arrange your time to draw close to God. You can allocate time to read spiritual books. Give yourself ample time to think about God’s Word and to pray. When we are well-fed in our spiritual life, we can experience true happiness. Next, let us look at how we could upgrade ourselves. It could be the mastering a new skill, training to have a healthier body, revising your work, etc. These arrangements are for the objective of preparing ourselves to be used by God more effectively. Furthermore, we could use our spare time to improve our relationship with others. These could be achieved by arranging for meet-ups and gatherings with friends and classmates. We could also visit homes or share the faith with others together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider also going on a trip with our family, helping the church or cell groups in administrative matters or cleaning up the premises. When we arrange our time for the holidays appropriately, we can rest on and also prepare ourselves to meet life’s challenges. On the contrary, if we do not make an effort to arrange our time, when “our days are evil,” mobile games, social media, various media platforms and other forms of entertainment would naturally dominate our holiday. These things can easily entice us to indulge in them, even sacrificing our meals and sleep for them. I hope our brothers and sister-in-Christ would rest in the coming holidays, and have an enriching time.
Translated by Elaine Chew