#AtoZChallenge: Rest

The thing with all this doing is that it’s doing. It’s busy work. It’s working and striving and perfecting and honing and just doing a lot of stuff. Which is necessary. Which is good. Which is what we’re meant to do. We’re meant to work. We’re meant to create. We’re meant to be active.

But it is also good to rest. God commanded the Sabbath and we remember that yeah, we’re supposed to rest at least one day a week, but most times we don’t. It’s not built into our lives, like it was for the Israelites. I mean, especially when you’re leading worship on the weekend, that results in 5 days of the day job, and maybe a 1/2 day work on Saturday (depending on your job), and then it’s practice in church, usually on a Saturday and then service on the Sunday (or both days, if you’re in a church like mine), and then Sunday is kind of when you need to hang out with family and friends or you have social appointments and the like.

Which is all very restful for an extrovert, I’m sure, but an additional stress for an introvert. Either way, extroverted or introverted, that’s not really translated into physical rest either - or even mental rest. And because of our culture of busyness, every time we sit down and decide to take an afternoon nap (even on a Sunday!) or we decide that we need to hide away for a while and take a break, we feel guilty about it. We feel as if we shouldn’t deprive others of our presence or our talents, as if we shouldn’t mess up other people’s schedules since someone would have to cover for us (especially when there are already limited volunteers), as if we do not have a right to rest when it was commanded.

Do what you need to do, seriously, but don’t forget the need to take time off and rest. Recharge your batteries. So that you have all you need to get going again.

---

Are you an A to Z blogger? Send me a message on my facebook page or twitter with your blog name and number and I will send you a coupon to get Coexist on Smashwords for only $0.99!

About the book:

Jane Hays has been told all her life that it’s dangerous to be out in the forest past sundown. At fifteen, she’s quite sure that it’s all old wives’ tales... yet, why does her village bar the gates every night? Why do they even have gates? When she is caught in an unexpected rainstorm on her way home, Jane ignores all the warnings and seeks shelter in a cottage in the middle of the forest. Soon, she is caught up in a world of magic and beauty – and in the storm of the Fairy Queen’s wrath.

The Fairy Queen is out for blood. There have been intruders – human intruders – in her domain and she will stop at nothing to find them and kill them. After all, it is only fair. She is only seeking retribution for the death that humans leave in their wake.

But Jane isn’t all that she seems to be. And the events of the night aren’t as innocent as they appear.

A tale of magic, fairy creatures and family, Coexist is a novella for the young and the young-at-heart.

Get Coexist on Amazon or Smashwords. Check out Book Depository or Createspace for paperbacks!