A Time to Rest
From where I sit fall seems to be quickly coming to an end. I realize that technically it is only half over but once the leaves come down everything seems different. Things are quieter now. It’s almost feels like Creation is taking a rest. In one sense, I suppose, Creation never rests—something is always happening—but this time of year, in the area where I live, things become a lot stiller.
From the beginning God has called for rest. It actually plays a prominent role in Scripture. We learn in Genesis 2 that God rested on the seventh day of Creation. Later He would tell His people through Moses that they, too, must rest on the seventh (Sabbbath) day. Not only were the people to rest, so were the animals. Later, provision for the land to rest was also included in God’s law. There can be no denying that rest is part of God’s intention for His Creation.
A number of years ago I was asked by a hospital to do a photographic representation of the seven days of Creation. The image above is the one I chose to represent the seventh day. The colorful leaf in the image rests against a rock in the stream, symbolizing for me the rest we find in God.
Throughout Creation there are reminders of the need for rest. Considering our busy helter-skelter lives, they are very much needed reminders. We all need rest physically, spiritually and emotionally. Creation declares this loud and clear. That it does should not surprise us when we remember that the Creator Himself recognized the need for rest and commanded it.
In the fallen leaves around me I see God’s reminder that we all need periods of rest, times to be still and know that He is God. The picture above also reminds me to give thanks for a place to rest, on Christ the Solid Rock.
–Chuck