Currently in Deuteronomy for my Bible reading plan, and I see how God constantly reminds the Israelites to remember what He did for them when He took them out of Egypt. Then, there are also festivals/celebrations designated to help that remember that time too. Not only that, God also emphasizes to them to have a day of rest. Remember and rest was important for the Israelites, and I’m learning it ought to be a pertinent part of my daily living too because the point of remembering and to rest for the Israelites, and even for me now, is to see God and His glory. It’s about looking at God and not ourselves.

I’m not much of a stop and remember, or stop and rest (in God) person. I do love to stop and remember the beginning stories of when Ben and I met (and I almost daily tell him the story of when we first met, or I make him retell it), but not so much things of God. It is sad how easy it is for me to breathe God ignoring air. I ought to remember when I first read John 3 and how being “born again” became real to me, or remember the beginnings of God opening my heart to understand what grace really means, or stopping daily to remember Jesus dying on the cross for me. I need to remember I’m free from being a slave to my selfish desires.

And rest… what’s that?! I’m such a busy body with a love for to-do lists, so I have a hard time stopping to rest. I keep going until I feel like I have everything under my control, but I need to rest under God’s control and not my own. I need to rest in God’s provision, not my own. Rest is God’s time, not my own. Rest in that God satisfies, not a clean house, obedient children, or antique jewelry.

Remember and rest go hand in hand and it’s to point me back to Christ… remember what He did in my place and rest in that all the work is already done, and I don’t need to run myself into the ground trying to control my world. Jesus gives all the rest I need. On this side of heaven, I know remember and rest will probably be a lifelong battle for me, but there’s an overflow of grace daily and I will keep fighting to remember and rest in Christ alone.