Rest for the Weary

Having just spent half of Thanksgiving driving up to Traverse City (to my in-laws) and back, I am reminded that during the Christmas season we often find it very difficult to actually take time to rest from our labors.  Genesis 2:2 tells us, "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."  This was the first occassion that illustrates the need to take a break from our labors.  That same principle was enshrined in the Ten Commandments alongside such staples as "do not murder", do not commit adultery", "do not steal", etc. which tend to get all of the attention.  Yet purposefully taking the time to REST was so to God that it was included.
In the modern world, we're connected 24/7 to our jobs and our social networks so much so that many people never really rest at all.  I know that many people may laugh at the notion of disconnecting themselves in order to have some peace and quiet, but that is precisely what God has commanded us to do.  During holidays we become so fixated with all of the things that need to be done (many of them useful or worthy tasks) that we don't allow ourselves to experience the purpose of the holy day that we are commemorating.
Christians have traditionally used Sunday as our day of rest, but I know from experience that many Americans don't even pause from their yardwork, shopping, texting, sports, or anything else in honor of the Sabbath that God took when he finished his labor.  As a pastor, Sunday is actually my busiest day which forces me to find time on another day to obey God's command to rest, but it's a command, not a suggestion.
If you're one of those people who feels the need to fill every waking moment with some task or other, don't.  Take the examle of our God's rest to heart and schedule (if you have to) some time this Christmas to REST.