I’ve always been a fan of the laid back, go with the flow type of lifestyle, but I definitely don’t like just sitting around doing nothing (some people call this resting. Weird.). When I wasn’t in school, I was working. When I wasn’t working or in school, I was at practice. When I wasn’t doing any of those things, I was with friends. Here in Honduras during all squad month, we have ministry, quiet time with the Lord, adventure days, chores, and 36 other people to constantly be around. It’s easy for me to stay busy with things and keep myself going. What I didn’t realize though is how necessary rest is. Not until I got knocked on my butt and forced to do it.
As a laid in a tiny cement room the size of my parents walk-in closet back home and listened to the Honduran doctor tell me everything he found wrong, all I could think about was how I was missing ministry and when could I get back. An hour long IV and three types of medicine later, I was feeling like it was just a rough cold. Great, right?! I went about being my busy self the next day and boy was that a bad idea. By the mid afternoon I was miserable and all I wanted was sleep.
That was yesterday. After a long night of tossing and turning, waking up my roommates with heavy coughing fits (sorry y’all), and freezing under several layers, I finally just laid in my bed and cried to God at 4:30am, just asking for some sleep. I promised Him I would rest the whole next day (today) if I could just fall asleep till morning. He is a good good Father and I slept the rest of the night, and now I am learning to rest.
It’s unfortunate that it took me getting so sick to learn how to do it, but God is showing me the importance of rest. When He created this beautiful Earth we live on, He worked for 6 days straight and then on the 7th, He rested. If resting is something our heavenly Father did, who am I to think I don’t need it? Even though I may not enjoy it at the moment, I am learning to. God does not want my half-hearted effort in ministry, He wants my whole heart, for me to give my all and hold nothing back. And I cannot do that if I’m burnt out on other things. So even though I am sick, I am healing, I am resting, and I am learning that sleep is not just for the weak.
