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 praying for when you feel Restless by Molly read by Liam Martin
 come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest
 Matthew 11:28 the holiday weekend specifically created for rest has come and gone but how many of us can say we took the Labor Day weekend to actually rest
 most of us probably wanted to maximize a free day off and took our families on vacation finished household chores are ran errands around town
 this isn't surprising we live in a culture that values productivity and instilled in us that to Rise & Grind will make us worthy and successful so on the days that are given to us as rest were then forced to use these rest days for activities that couldn't be met during the work week God foresaw Humanity's need for rest it was God who modeled for us would healthy creative and productive work looked like after six days of creation he gave us rest
 Genesis 22 through 3 tells us by the seventh day got it finished the work he been doing so on the seventh day he rested from all his work
 then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because I want it he rested from all the work of creating that he done
 however with the fall of Man even sin tried to destroy the fabric of God's created work and rest the world tries to tell us that unless we're producing or worthless
 this can be seen not only through our daily jobs but through social media or even in our free time trying to become an influencer to be seen as become work and this in turn causes restlessness and something I personally struggle with and I imagine so many others do as well
 the moments where I have the time and space to rest I find myself becoming very anxious I'm unable or unwilling to rest feelings of guilt shame or even boredom over not doing something overcome me and I also choose to be productive when I honestly need the rest not surprisingly when I don't take those opportunities to rest and I push myself Beyond with healthy my body will force me to rest through illness or depression you know I get rest this way it's far from enjoyable
 just as God delighted in his work and his purpose for us was to find our work gratifying I believe he also created rest to be enjoyable and the feelings of guilt or shame you start to Creep from the edges of my time and rest I breed in and out
 grab my Bible and allow myself to enter God's rest I grab a book and sit in a comfy chair to read or I pick up the remote and turn on a movie that I enjoy when that relaxes my entire being sometimes I curl up on the couch and take a well-earned nap
 let's pray
 Lord I pray we can give ourselves permission to rest and when we do I pray it's with you when we choose to rest I pray that we find peace in your words and voice as we enter into a state of rest that only you can provide
 thank you for creating a time for work and productivity and thank you for creating a holy time for rest so that we can be refreshed and start a new
 thank you for giving us passion drive and purpose thank you for the promise of one day being in your presence and feeling that sense of rest for all-time father I pray for those who simply can't find time to rest for those whose economic and social situation has them working two or more jobs night shift or 80-hour weeks just to stay above water I pray that you'll give them relief that the community around them will step in and help I pray we as Christians remember our charitable spirits and lend a hand to those in need
 thank you for your marvelous gift of rest my God
 let us not listen to the world and its definition of value remembering full well our identity is in Christ alone as the world spreads its message of worth but us spread the gospel message iMessage full of Hope peace and the greatest love the world has ever known in our savior's holy name
 amen
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