When To Rest And When To Push On

Water has the tendency to stop us in our tracks, for good or for bad. We linger near a bubbling brook or an echoing waterfall, but we hit the brakes when it’s raining outside. It’s the same water - just in different forms - and we have very different reactions to them.

I am the first to admit that I stop everything when it starts to rain. I’m not worried about a storm or concerned about flooding, though. I just want to sit and listen to the rhythm of the falling rain on the roof. I want to see the ripples the rain drops make in the pond. I want to smell that beautiful smell of a fresh rainfall on the grass.

There are times, though, when I can’t just sit and watch or stop and listen. There are things that need to be done, people to help and places to go. Does that mean I would get any less enjoyment out of the rain? Of course not. But there is a time and place for everything.

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitful ness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it become the unfruitful. Mark 4:18-19

We are all familiar with the parable of the sower and the different types of soil his seeds fell on. Those seeds among the thorns are choked out because of the extra stuff around them. In spiritual application, Jesus says these are the distractions and temptations of the world, making that soul unfruitful in God’s eyes.

Does that mean stopping to watch the rain is sinful? No, of course not. But it can be if I need to be doing something important as unto the Lord, but I’m sitting out on the deck with my feet propped up.

Does that mean sitting on the deck with my feet propped up is sinful? Of course not, but it can be if I let those things take the place of what God needs me to do right now.

Do I need to rest and reboot? Yes, definitely, but I also have to keep the important things in their place of priority. This is a delicate balance between serving God and serving self, between letting Him recharge our batteries and giving in to laziness and procrastination. 

I don’t know what “listening to the rain” looks like in your life, but I do know that we are each to do and accomplish certain things for the Lord today. When we’re in close fellowship with Him, we know His desires for our day and our life, and we can listen to His instructions for both our work time and our rest time. And when we’re resting in Jesus, casting our burdens on Him because He cares for us, we can regain the energy we need to live sold-out lives for Him. And if that means a few minutes watching the rains move in, we can enjoy that, too.

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