by Pastor Douglas Brauner

An Invitation to Rest

There’s a small child inside all of us, a child who can’t sit still.

In my last congregation, my staff gave me a tough time for having squirrel moments. If my body wasn’t moving, my mind was. There is much to think about and much to do.

We wrap our minds around what we did, what we’re doing, and what is to come. There is always a project that needs to be completed, a mission which occupies both our minds and our actions.

Like a small child, we are in perpetual motion. The child in this picture looks relaxed and calm. I’m grateful that my phone camera has a fast shutter speed. Even when I took this picture, he was in motion.

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.”
Genesis 2:2 English Standard Version

The God of perpetual motion rested on the seventh day. His rest doesn’t mean he was inactive, it means he enjoyed what he had made, already having declared creation “very good.” In our understanding of time, God stopped, kicked up his feet, and was actively enjoying the work of his hands.

Through Jesus, God invites us into HIS rest. In fact, God has declared our rest holy. He invites us not only to enjoy his work of creation, but our redemption. Like his Father, Jesus had completed his work, not of creating, but of redeeming his fallen creation.

Now the Spirit whisper into your ear, “Kick up your feet and rest with the Father who created you and with the Son who redeemed you. Through Jesus you are very good! Rest, laugh, and enjoy what you truly are; a child of God!”

This might be a time of perpetual motion for you as you face challenges, whether positive or negative. It might seem counter intuitive to hear the Spirits voice to kick up your feet. However, the invitation is there for you today.

Don’t be alarmed that if you kick up your feet, God surprises you.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado