On the 7th Day,
God was finished with the work He had done
and He rested! (1)
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My oldest son was a long distance swimmer in high school and college. While he was a good sprinter, he had the strength, endurance, and patience to win a long distance race.
Marathoners in any sport start well and pace themselves for the long haul. They do not fret over losing segments of the race, rather they focus on being strong for the finish. A good marathoner knows the importance of resting during the race.
Even in The Kentucky Derby, which is frequently seen as a sprint, the jockey must allow his horse to rest at some point during the race to be strong for the finish. It is rare for the winner of The Derby to lead from wire-to-wire. How many times have you seen the leader from the opening bell run out of gas during the last 3 lengths?
We live in a non-stop world. The pressure is on us to produce, to be active, to succeed, and to be on top of our game 24/7.
We try to succeed at what God refused to attempt!
God took a rest after 6 days of inspirational speaking. He rested on the 7th day and commended the same rest to every one of us. But let’s face it, we are convinced that we are too good, too worthy, too important, too strong to need rest every 7 days.
Without rest we break, we fail, we crash, we hit a wall, and we lose the race. Our good fight is for naught because we forgot about the 3 minute break between each 3 minute round.
Why do we do this?
I believe we refuse to allow ourselves the grace to rest, to miss a deadline, to not get item number 23 checked off of today’s To Do List because we want to prove ourselves better than God.
David reminded us, “Be still and know I am God!” (2)
We cannot know God 24/7 if we go 24/7.
Grant yourself gracious rest today.
I did yesterday and I feel much better today.
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Genesis 2:2.
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Psalm 46:10
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 
Rus, I am so proud of you! A day of rest? You ARE making progress. No snottiness implied or intended! I mean it.
Anyway, pondering this sabbath concept just recently led me to the question: “and on the eighth day…?”
I began to recognize that on the Seventh day God rested because the work of creation would (and does) continue. If we are to participate in that work with our Lord, we too must take Sabbath.
It was a day of rest forced upon me by my fatigue, not my faithful brilliance. I am plugging away at this. My wrestling in part revolves around the desire to post a new “daily” bread crumb.
The writing is intended as a creative AND restorative outlet. When it becomes a burden, take A day off.
Jim, the writing is a creative and restorative ministry for me and a gift for others. It is never a burden. However, there are days when the burdens of the day keep me from this ministry which restores my soul.