The past couple of weeks I have realized that I am guilty of doing something that I think typical Americans in our 21st century society are guilty of.
Always being on the go!
I have been committing myself to too many things and putting way too many things on my plate (or calendar). I have been running myself ragged, and on top of that, not getting enough sleep. I am a person that values my sleep, whether that’s an afternoon nap or going to bed early even when there’s a sleepover going on.
I had a breakdown about 2 weeks ago when I realized this and had to contact people about postponing some upcoming plans so that I could get rest as well as get some much needed tasks done that had to do with preparing for the Race. Cancelling or postponing plans always is awkward and disappointing to have to do; so why do I wait for it to get to that point?
I realized I just can’t say “no.” I can’t say no to events or friends because I don’t want to miss out on anything. Especially as a prepare to leave the country for a year. FOMO is real. I want my life to be as fulfilling as possible, which in our American culture means being as busy as possible.
But God has a different mindset.
God very appropriately led our interim youth pastor to talk about the spiritual discipline of REST recently, right when I needed to hear it.
God weaves rest into the fabric of creation when he takes a whole day to do it after creating the world. (Genesis 2:1-3) Every living creature has a cycle of rest in its life cycle and body clock.
If we don’t rest enough, we get physically and mentally sick. Depression, anxiety, sleep problems, weight gain, digestive issues, headaches, back pain, and high blood pressure are only some of the symptoms of stress and not getting enough rest. Not to mention, our friendships and family relationships start to suffer because of anger or not spending enough time with them.
Without scheduling rest into your week, your perspective switches, your priorities get skewed, and you end up chasing things that don’t matter.
This generation is fed fear. In school or the workplace, we are led the lie that if we don’t do this or that, then we won’t be able to achieve a certain level. This makes us work harder, stress helps us get there and we don’t rest until we obtain. Another big lie that stems off this other one is that we don’t have time to rest. It is just like the lie about not being able to afford to tithe. Whatever it is: money, time, talents — God will multiply it if we give it to Him!
Rest is so important to God that He turns it into a commandment!
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
But we completely disregard the fourth commandment. We also get it wrong. We think by only going to church we are honoring the Sabbath. But, nowhere in there does God say anything about going to the temple, tabernacle, or church, or anything about worship.
God knows that not only does our body need rest (sleep), but our souls do too. And that is what the Sabbath is for. In a busy week, sometimes we aren’t able to take enough time to do things that refuel and re-energize us; things that make our soul come alive or let it reflect.
What does that look like?
I know for me, journalling ushers in rest to my soul. Being able to reflect on what God has done in my heart and life recently allows me to rest and recuperate from a busy life. Reading is also something I really enjoy that I don’t get to do often.
If you aren’t physically tired, and you love to play a certain sport, sometimes your soul will need to run around and play. If you love to create things in the kitchen but haven’t cooked in a long time or you’re always cooking for the family, you might either want to create something or you might need a break. Whatever it is that will give your soul rest. Do it in honor of your Lord.
To be honest, this blog took me a couple days to write because I’ve been so busy. Today, I hit a low point where the stress of the laundry list of things I needed to get down before I leave overwhelmed me so much that I took it out on my young niece and nephew that I was nannying for. First, anger and yelling. Then, tears. I had several meltdowns in front of them as I was applying for my Indian visa online. The worst (and maybe the best) part was having my 3.5 year old nephew and 1.5 year old niece comforting me as I cried.
I know something has got to change in me. In this season, I know the Lord is teaching me that I need to dedicate my time to the Lord every day.
Jumping out of bed in the morning without a thought towards God is not how I should be functioning. God wants us to let Him into our day. He will give us what we need to get through each day. He will give us rest if we give our time to Him! He will create time in your busy schedule if you first give your schedule to Him! He can create out of nothing! He can create time where there doesn’t seem to be any.
He just wants us to admit that we can’t do it in our own strength.
That’s the prayer I ended up praying today after I let go of my stubbornness.
I invite you to read more about this subject here and consider how you can better observe the Sabbath.
