A Day of Rest

I find myself thoroughly enjoying this soggy Saturday. It's a steady, non-stop rain that promises to be here all day. The quiet stillness inside is complimented by the steady downpour outside. I love to listen to the rain. 

I made a grocery list and planned the meals for the week but that is about as much productivity that I have planned for the day. This of course was all from the comfort of my couch in my ultra comfy yoga pants. I'm not sure that any of the shopping will actually get done today. Who wants to go grocery shopping in the pouring down rain?! Certainly not this girl. The weather seems to be contributing to the super-unmotivated mood I now possess. I've rationalized that I can't clean the floors because a certain doodle dog would inevitably track in mud and paw prints. He seems to content to be relaxing as well. 

I can't help but enjoy the laziness of the day. It doesn't happen often and usually life is in fast forward so this change of pace is welcomed and somewhat overdue. I slept in til 8:30! That in itself is a record for this automatic early riser. It's a blessing and a curse not being able to sleep past 7, usually awakened without an alarm around 6. The blessing is I'm usually most productive in the morning and it's a great way to get a jump start on the day. 

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7

The Lord has been so, so good to me. Beyond what I deserve, even more than I could imagine. It's days like these when I actually take the time to stop going and doing, when I'm not rushing from one responsibility to yet another over-committed obligation. Days like these when I pause and reflect on His goodness, when I escape from the demands and expectations, my soul finds rest. The reality is the expectations are usually contrived by my own hand. The demands are typically the result of my doing. So in the stillness, in the quiet, with nothing more than the sound of the steady ready falling, I can just rest. I can relax. I can be comfortable. I can be restored. I can be renewed. I can find the peace my soul longs for. I can escape from the expectations I think everyone has of me and realize the only thing I need to do is be still right here, right now in His presence. 

The Lord has been good to me and because of His goodness, because of His love and compassion, I don't have to be consumed. I don't have to worry. I don't have to be overwhelmed. I don't have to fulfill any of the expectations or demands, I don't have to be obligated by responsibilities and roles. Yes, there are things to be done. But not today at least. Today is a day for rest.