A Lesson In Rest & Relaxation; From Sullivan The Pup

My family had a great time getting away and doing a few days of tent camping this week and playing in the stream to cool off. This was the first camping trip for our new pup Sullivan, but Sully did a great job of keeping up with four kids and all the adventures our family had together over the last few days. He's a good dog!

Sullivan came to our home just a few days before the Covid-19 close-down. We weren't sure we were ready for another puppy, but we weren't sure when our next opportunity to adopt a dog would come around again... so we did it. Turns out, it ended up being a great time to get a dog. When all of us came home for school and work a few days later, we had six sets of eyes and ears on him at all times, which meant he had very few accidents in the house or behavioral issues that weren't corrected quickly.

Sully has been a great dog. But he does have a silly quirk. This dog loves to sleep! He loves to play hard, run hard, chase hard, and even swim hard (after some coaxing); but what he loves more than anything is to sleep! He is the king of the power nap. This puppy will find a place to take quick snooze when he needs it, then comes back with even more energy afterwards. It's pretty funny. It's super cute. 

Did you know, according to the Center for Human Sleep Design at the University of California, that humans are the only animals to deprive themselves of rest? Think about it, a predator who spends hours or even days on the hunt may push itself to exhaustion, but as soon as it catches its prey... it rests. But we don't do that very well do we? For those of us who like to have a cup of coffee, or four, we definitely don't do that well.

I grew up on a dairy farm and joined the Marines right out of high school, so I have an internal clock that pushes me out of the bed and out of the front door pretty early each morning.  I love the satisfaction of a hard days work, and I sleep really well at night basically every night, but I rarely... rest.

Rest is important to your spiritual walk with the Lord, and many Christians today don't appreciate the value of rest, or in finding Sabbath. Rest allows our mind, body, and soul to renew and start with even more strength and focus. With everything that is going on in the world around us, do you know what we need more than anything? Rest.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

I feel like I learned something about rest this week, with a cute little puppy curled up next to me. For me, it was a little unexpected. Where might you find rest this week? Where might you find rest today?

- Pastor Milo