…Opening To…

Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world — except for a nice MLT — mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that. (Miracle Max, The Princess Bride)

…Listening In…

Prince Humperdinck: Tyrone, you know how much I love watching you work, but I’ve got my country’s five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it: I’m swamped.
Count Rugen: Get some rest. If you haven’t got your health, then you haven’t got anything.

…Filling Up…

Just in case you haven’t see The Princess Bride, you should know that the two people quoted above are the bad guys. Even so, Count Rugen gives the prince some good advice. The count has just invited Humperdinck to watch him torture Westley on “The Machine,” but the prince just has too much on his plate. So Rugen (also known as the six-fingered man, for those of you keeping score) councils his liege to “get some rest.”

How often do you just go Go GO without any thought of what this go Go GOING is doing to your body? I often tell myself: “Okay, next week – next week you can get some rest.” And then next week rolls around and guess what I say. Yep. Same thing. In college, I had to schedule time off from studying because I had a tendency to tell myself that I would take time off when I was done. And you know what happened. I was never done. So I never “got some rest.”

Each one of us is built to serve God – that is the primary purpose of our existence. But God didn’t create us to be androids that can function with no food or rest. God didn’t create us to be nonstop creatures. In fact, God built the very concept of “rest” into the fabric of Creation. Do you think God stopped creating on Day Six? No sir. God created rest on Day Seven. That’s the whole point behind Sabbath – to rest in the arms of God and by doing so attune yourself to God’s movement in Creation.

So, even though Count Rugen is the bad guy, please take his advice when you’re overwhelmed. Heck, take it before you’re overwhelmed. God will sustain you no matter what, but there will be more of you to sustain if you “get some rest.”

…Praying For…

Dear God, you instituted a time for rest from the very foundation of Creation. Help me to slow down and rest my restless heart in you. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, knowing that yours is the truest love in the world and that not even death can stop true love.