When You are Forced to Rest – An Honest Evaluation

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

-Exodus 33:14

While the world has gone crazy- overstocking up on toilet paper and water, the L-rd has called His people to simply rest.

We never understand why HaShem allows certain things to happen on earth, but one thing is clear, that we as human beings in general, have overused, abused and disrespected our resources, our tongues and our freedoms on this earth. We have used our privilege as a Western civilization to trash our environment and over pollute our brainwaves with junk, filth, and idleness. We consume and overspend, which leads to endless amounts of trash and clothes with tags still on them, as they waste in our homes. We are overstimulated by sound, noise, and cellphones. We are addicted to the pleasures of this world- both secular and believers are, and sadly enough, we have not paid attention to “the signs of the times” or the “writing on the wall” as some would say.

Now, due to the current state of the world, which is in shock that a mere virus-like entity could create a standstill in our economy and resources- yes, the bottled water and toilet paper are being rationed out like bread in the depression, we are now forced to social distance and for some, quarantine.

What does this tell us about ourselves? What does it show Hashem about His creation? Furthermore, how do we move forward and what should we do now.

These questions are easy to answer but we do not like the answer. Repent is one answer- yes, merely turning back to the ways of HaShem can create in us a light that penetrates any darkness. But, just repent, is that all? No, of course. We must take this forced rest as an opportunity to be quiet and hear from HaShem. We must listen, to our earth, so that we can hear her cries and suffering. What would she say? I wonder… We must listen to our overworked bodies. What would it say? I wonder…

See, being forced to rest is so silly in a way because we should be resting naturally. But because we overwork ourselves and are in a constant state of “busy-ness”, we get ADHD after sitting still for 5 minutes. This is a shame because resting is a survival tool. When animals hunt in harsh environments, they perish if they do not have proper rest.  If we are to survive, we must sit at home and learn to view life as a privilege. We must see that every single day that we wake up, is a blessing because we are given a gift that is called “breath”. This is a privilege and we should be honored to live and wake up each day. To “breathe” and be alive must be thought about as a gift. No longer should we take for granted the simple touch of a hand, or the ridiculous curiosity of our children, or the bark from the dog to go out in the morning. Woe to a people who can not rest. This is why HaShem rested on the seventh day after he created for six days. He gave us the best example of what rest was and told us how important it was to rest and dwell in peace.

When humans can learn to thank Hashem for the simplest of these, maybe- just maybe we can be blessed enough to hear the still voice of HaShem that heals the nations. The Bible tells us that if His people can get together and pray, that He would heal the land. Yet, do we have time to pray when we are running around grabbing toilet paper and taking all the food from the elderly off of the shelves? Do we have time to pray when we are chasing money, relationships, or fame? We must learn to connect to our creator, be one with our resources- our planet, and love this universe we are in or it will all go to hell.

I pray that every single person reading this today will have peace during their time away from social situations. I hope and pray that we all see with our third eye- the minds-eye, your spirit or whatever you want to call it- the supernatural benefits of rest. I hope that the time away from each other has caused you to rethink some of those toxic relationships or jobs that you needed to walk away from but did not have the courage to do so before. Lastly, I pray that we all walk away from these times changed in a good way and that we never take each other or our communities for granted. We should walk away from this experience with a renewed love for our earth, resources, and humanity, love for our children and families and love for our creator. The best example that I could find that benefits us here is in the words of Yeshua, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Let us all be agents of HaShem’s love in these dark times. Amein.

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.

-Psalm 62:1

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

-Psalm 4:8 

This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

-Jeremiah 6:16