August Rest...

The English word august comes from the Latin word augustus which means consecrated and venerable. How fitting. This particular month, in this particular year, proves to be quite sacred for me. On Sunday, August 1, 2010, I was consecrated—set apart by the laying on of hands—for the Gospel ministry. It was a beautiful worship celebration, the final kick off what is indeed a new season in my life. I am now a wife and ordained minister, entrusted by God with a new set of responsibilities.

You can imagine that this has been a beautiful, blessed, and crazy time. With so much going on, I have had little time to rest and care for myself (which I believe is part and parcel for being a good steward in the kingdom of God). With that in mind, this month is also consecrated in that it is the time set apart to relax in the arms of God, be renewed in His strength, and to establish new routines of self-care. In a way, this is my sabbatical month. While I will be working, I will be intentional about the way in which the remainder of my time is spent.

I need rest. Duh, you might say....you just graduated from school, got married, moved, started your work as Assistant to the Pastor at Bethesda, and went before the ordination council. Admittedly, I am a woman who thrives on doing stuff. Needless to say, it difficult for me to relax. In fact, I spent Tuesday afternoon trying to figure out and list reason why I was so exhausted until I finally realized that I am simply tired and that I should honor my exhaustion by submitting my mind, body, and soul to rest. So I rested. And I plan to rest for the remainder of this month. This is a holy endeavor so that I may be a renewed vessel for the work of ministry.

Let's be clear. Many of us believe that when we rest that we are being lazy or doing nothing. Not so. When we rest, we are indeed doing something. When we rest, we are acknowledging that we are human beings who cannot do it all. When we rest, we demonstrate our faith in God who is Sovereign and Able. When we rest, we are asking God to revive us afresh. When we rest, we are being still and knowing that He is God. When we rest, we are pausing to hear a fresh word from God.

And so, I will end this post rather abruptly. I must close my computer and make my way to Aiken, massage therapist extraordinaire, who will work out the kinks and knots that have been building up in my neck and shoulders.

Today, on his table, I will find rest...