Rest to Rise

Author Jonathan Van Horn* writes,

“My wife Rachel loves to bake—cookies, crumbles, cakes, pies; you name it, she loves to bake it! Recently, she had a desire to learn how to bake artisan bread, which would add to the long list of amazing baked goods that often fill our home with enticing smells. Her love for baking is evident, but she wanted to stretch herself and try something new. So she bought some supplies, a few books, and materials to prepare. One of the items was a large two and one-half gallon bucket to store the dough. Part of the reason for the size is that you can prepare enough dough for multiple loaves. The first time she made the bread, she mixed all of the ingredients together: flour, water, oil, eggs, salt, and yeast. After mixing everything, she left all of the dough in the bucket on the counter to rest. During this resting time, the dough rose and nearly tripled in size. For a few hours as the amount of dough continued to increase in size during its rest.”

When we rest, the same thing happens to us – we increase in size, capability, and ability. Resting, when done well, can cause us to rise to new levels!

Bible Verse:
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
 
What this means

• The Hebrew word for “wait” has connotations of patiently resting and not rushing. It is when we spend time resting that our strength is renewed. Renewed strength invites us to new heights.
• Once we are renewed, we have a strong force within us, similar to the strength of the wings on an eagle, powering the eagle to new heights.
• Once strength is renewed, we can run faster and go further – but it all begins with us resting well

Rest today to rise tomorrow

*” Shift – The Athlete’s playbook”