One Hand or Two?

This morning I continued reading into the 4th chapter of Ecclesiastes.  Verse 6 really jumped out at me:

"One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind." (NAS)

Obviously, God is working to get through to my workaholic nature and remind me of the importance of taking care of myself.  Yesterday it was about the importance of taking time to eat well, today it's about resting.  

But God is talking to me about more than simply getting my sleep.  My mind goes to Hebrews chapters 3 & 4 - especially chapter 4 verses 9-11.

"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest . . ." (NKJV)

The overall passage speaks about how the Israelites whom God had led out of Egypt did NOT enter into His rest because of their unbelief.  I think back over the stories about the journey out of Egypt to the promised land.  The two things I see God address with them over and over are their tendency to be afraid and their tendency to complain about things.  These were the behaviors that kept them out of the promised land - that kept them from entering His rest.  

How often do I do these things?  How often do I complain?  How often do I worry about things - and isn't worry just a form of fear?  

Over the course of the last several days, I've had an opportunity to see my tendency toward both - and the changes God is making in me in this regard.  My husband has had to put in a lot of overtime working on a project with several of his co-workers.  This, of course, cut into his normal time to rest, deal with personal things, and spend time with ME.  

• Complaining - This situation is one where I ordinarily would have done a lot of complaining (inside my head if not out loud).  I am grateful that is not where I spent my energy.  While the thoughts flitted through my head occasionally, I mostly felt gratitude that I knew God was in charge - and that He had given me the opportunity to get things done that I might not have accomplished otherwise.

• Worry - My husband's work on this project required him to get considerably less sleep than usual and I caught myself worrying about his safety driving home.  Fortunately, as soon as the concern entered my mind, I spoke with God about it and let it go, trusting that He was indeed keeping everything running right.  

For some time God has been teaching me about the importance of faith, joy, and gratitude.  And now He's showing me the results of ignoring those lessons. Complaining and worry keep me from truly entering His rest.  Father, I CHOOSE to enter into Your rest!  

I've often thought about Jesus and His tendency to spend so much of the night in prayer.  Clearly His disciples were too tired to do so.  Why wasn't Jesus?  It seems to me that THIS is the answer.  Communion with His Father kept Him in that place of rest, giving Him the rest He needed! I think of the time that the disciples came to Him concerned that He hadn't had time to eat. John 4:32 tells us: "But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”  It seems to me as I contemplate this, that Jesus had REST that I knew nothing about as well!

Father, through the writer to the Hebrews, we are told to be diligent in working to enter Your rest.  I see the importance of the focus on the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23) instead of complaining and worrying.  And I know that the only way my human tendencies toward fear and worry are transformed is through Your power.  I see that you have already been working in me to create these changes and am grateful.  I am also grateful that you have promised that the work you've begun in me will be seen to completion (Phil 1:6)!  Thank you for the victories this weekend over worry and complaining - the opportunity to more fully enter into Your rest.  I am reminded that in listing faith, joy, and gratitude as the antidotes, I missed an important one - love.  You've told us that your perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18) and that of the three - faith, hope and love - the most important and most powerful is LOVE (1st Cor 13).  Father I am SO grateful for your love for me!  I ask that I be an open vessel so that your love can so fill me that there is no room left for worry or complaint.  I see that You have already started this process in me and I'm so grateful!  Thank you, Father!  I love you.