Rest, God did.

Genesis 2:2 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."

Yes, we have heard that it is important to take a Sabbath because, after all, God did on the seventh day. Easy to say before the day of the Blackberry. It is so tempting to just glance at that one email, but that one glance steals my rest immediately. Why do I do it? If God rested, what do I think is so important to keep me from doing the same.

As I looked closer at this verse, I not only see how God rested, but how He worked contributing to the ability to rest. Here is what I saw:

1. "God finished"--It is so much easier to rest when a task is completed and not taunting us with "if you just gave me a few minutes, I'd be done." Even though we know it really means an hour or two.
   
   
2. "the work he had been doing"--There was focus on a specific task until it was complete. I tend to start a new task in the middle of another one, so that on my desk there are four or five incomplete tasks instead of one finished one.


3. "He rested"--Just those words make my shoulders relax and my heart rate slow.


4. "from all his work"--Everything is put away; there is no checking that one email, or looking up that one report. It is rest from all the work we have, putting it all down for the sake of rest.

I let technology steal my rest all the time. When I put it down, I am freed up to engage with the people, silence, laughter, or creation around me.

Rest is good for my health (spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional).

Rest is good for my marriage.

Rest is good for my relationships.

So let's rest!

Food for Though

These are some quotes I ran across this week that I enjoyed:

"There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less." G.K. Chesterton

"Everything we own owns us. It takes time to use it, dust it, paint it, maintain it, build space in a house for it, and work to pay for it." Richard Swanson

"My joy comes from clothing myself with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. It is joy because it is so precious to God." Cynthia Heald

Enjoy!

Bad Day Box

We all have those bad days when we want to write the word "fail" on that day of the calendar. I can become consumed with my mistakes, people's negative opinions of me (whether perceived or real), and wonder if what I am doing with my life.

Instead of crawling under the covers with a tub of cookie dough, searching online for jobs in Hawaii, break open the "Bad Day Box."

The Bad Day Box is a box where I keep encouraging notes, cards, emails, or keepsakes that people have given to me that are full of words that touched my heart. It is a reminder of the all the good things that people have to say to me and about me. It takes a few minutes to open it up and remember that "fail" might have described my day, but not my life.

Put together your own Bad Day Box:

1. You can pick up a fun hat box at the store, decorate your own box if you are crafty, or pick up a photo storage box.



2. Tuck the box away in a place, where it's easy to access and you will see it often in case you need it. Mine is in my home office in a cupboard with office supplies.



3. Every time you get a note or email, pictures, or something else that has encouraged you, stick in the box.

You can even do this for a friend, loved one, or your kids and fill it with notes and words that you want to encourage them with!

The Quick Fix

We all have our ways to deal with stress. I really love a good massage, a pedicure, the scalp massage that comes with a good haircut, a movie with a happy ending. But most of those cost a pretty penny, and the daisy life is about living simply and low cost.


My husband and I took a recent trip with his parents to La Jolla, and during this relaxing week, I realized the quick fix to built up stress: A good hug (and maybe a kiss, but let's focus on the hugging part since kisses can be hard to come by, and it is the cold and flu season after all).

Yes, the beach and ocean are great, but I live in the desert of Tucson, AZ (though we do live right off the banks of the lovely Rillito, which should be Spanish for "really big sand ditch"), but really makes all those muscles in my neck release is a great big hug, a bear hug, a tight squeeze.

Here are some fun tidbits that I found online about hugging by googling "facts about hugs":

• Hugging assists the immune system



• Hugging helps induce sleep



• A snuggle is a longish hug



• Hugs are free



• Humans need 4 hugs/day to survive and 8 hugs/day to maintain a strong emotional level
  

Instead of spending extra money on a shopping trip or a gourme coffee drink to feel beter..I think I'll go hug someone!

Hugging "facts" found at: www.poofcat.com/friend9.html, www.superlaugh.com/1/hugfacts.htm, www.pennyparker2.com/facts.html

Daisy Resolution update:

1. Weekly blog entry: I completed a post--so it's not the most creative or clever, but it is posted.
2. Money spent on clothes so far: $0
3. Store less stuff: I have created a "garage sale" closet that will hopefully be empty by the end of January
4. Book: Still working on the Eisenhower biography
5. Balance my credit card: $0