Look for something to celebrate

Sometimes our personal perspective and attitude is the most powerful obstacle that is holding us back from the rest God intends to give us.

May 16, 2025

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. (Isaiah 58:12-13)

I hate tomatoes.

I have always hated tomatoes. They just taste weird. Now, I love ketchup and pasta sauce and chili and other dishes that have tomatoes in them. But just not tomatoes.

Bleck.

But then, one day, after a long, hard stretch of working outside or physical labor or something (I can’t remember), I only had a salad to eat. And it had grape tomatoes on it. I was starving, and I figured even if I didn’t like the taste, they would be calories. So I ate them.

And actually, they weren’t as bad as I remembered. I was really thankful for that. I didn’t love them, but they were okay. Admittedly, I eat tomatoes on salads now. Grape tomatoes. Maybe cherry tomatoes. I haven’t gotten to where I like eating the larger varieties raw at all. And even then, I can’t tell you that they’re my favorite, but I eat them.

Maybe my tastes changed. Or maybe it was my perspective, that a tomato would benefit me in that moment because I was hungry.

Honestly? Sometimes our personal perspective and attitude is the most powerful obstacle that is holding us back from the rest God intends to give us.

Have you ever considered that your perspective on rest might be wrong? Have you thought that maybe you’ve got an attitude about the Sabbath? It’s okay if you do. I did. I didn’t see rest as important. I figured I had so many other things to get done for God that He wouldn’t mind if I didn’t take a break. I’m not under the Law after all; I’m under grace. So I can do whatever I want as long as it’s for Him. Right?

Oh, the human heart is so tricky. We love to paint our rebellion in the bright, beautiful colors of servitude. But disobedience is disobedience no matter how you try to dress it up.

I get it, though. Resting doesn’t feel productive. Resting doesn’t feel beneficial when you look at your ever-increasing task list. Resting doesn’t feel restful, not when you are constantly focused on everything that you think you need to get done.

My friend, the only thing you need to get done today is to follow Jesus. That means obeying.

You can choose to delight in Sabbath rest. Once you make the choice to obey, don’t spend hours sitting around thinking about everything you aren’t doing. Use that time and space to talk to Jesus. Spend time with Him. Do something fun with Him.

Make the space to rest, choose to rest, and then celebrate with gratitude that God has given you the gift to rest.

It’s kind of like tomatoes, I guess. Not saying you can mind-over-matter your way out of disliking them, but you can start with choosing not to despise them. There’s always something good to find. There is always something to be grateful for. There is always something to celebrate.

Rest is a gift. God has given it to you. Take it. Use it. Celebrate it. Why else did He give it to you if not for you to use it?