The importance of physical and mental rest
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” - Mark 2:27
In ancient Athens, Greece, a man one day noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing games with some small children. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in a useless activity. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the Athenian, “If you can, tell me what the unstrung bows implies.”
Puzzled, the man looked at it for several minutes but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. So Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will eventually break. But if you let it go slack once in awhile, it will be more fit for use when you need it.”
Much like that bow, people need to take time now and again to rest. God rested on the Sabbath day after creating the world. He also prescribed a Sabbath day of rest for Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus also lays out a pattern of rest for Christians now in verses like today’s.
Set aside a special time every week to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. Even if you don’t work every day, you still need time to separate yourself from the worries and anxieties of the world. When you take time to “loosen the bow” now and then, you’ll be at your very best to be used for the Lord!
Prayer Challenge
Ask God to help you be disciplined to separate yourself from the world regularly so you can be at your best!
Questions for Thought
What are some of the stresses you encounter that “bend your bow”?
What’s the best time and place for you to get away at least once a week to refresh and renew your body and spirit?
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