Patty and I were fortunate to spend a week in Florida recently. We were able to unplug, change up our routines, relax, and refresh. I knew I needed it, but truly didn’t know how badly until I was there.
We live in a day of feeling overextended, exhausted, and anxious. We suffer from mental health challenges and deteriorating relationships. Many say it is a result of too much work. This could be true but not always. We are an activity-driven society. Much of it is not about work but about restlessness. It is a constant life of busyness.
When we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired (they all go together, by the way), we are susceptible to all the temptations the enemy brings our way. We are vulnerable to all kinds of destruction.
So what do we do?
1. Rest your body. God made you to need rest. If a red warning light for your car engine came on, you wouldn’t ignore it and keep driving. You’d stop because you know continuing to drive the car would damage your engine and eventually it would completely break down. If you keep pumping the adrenaline all day, every day, seven days a week – the “engine” of your life will break down. Your body needs a break.
2. Recharge your emotions. This is not going to look the same for everyone. Sometimes you need to recharge and refresh a relationship. Some days, recharging will simply mean being quiet. Maybe you need some recreational activity – your body needs to move! Whatever it is you need to do, make sure you have a “Sabbath” – a day of rest.
3. Refocus your spirit. For me, worship is a significant place of rest and refocus. It recharges me with recognition of who I am, my purpose, and perspective. Meditation will help anyone.
In a world that glorifies and applauds busyness, a world that normalizes the never-ending push for productivity, a helpful formula I read once might be good to follow:
- Divert daily (whatever relaxes)
- Withdraw weekly (a Sabbath)
- Abandon annually (disconnect completely)
Rest is truly an act of resistance to the empires and kingdoms of this world and within our own lives. It brings us back to the affirmation that the greatest kingdom is not of this world and is within us. Rest allows us to quiet ourselves and revive our minds, bodies, and spirits.
It is easy to make work a type of god. Work is esteemed in our western society as the highest means of success, especially when work is labeled as powerful, prestigious, or especially lucrative. No longer do we view work as a means to an end (as in harvesting crops so the family can eat), but it is almost always associated exclusively with the amount of money we earn. And the only way to make more money or advance along the corporate ladder is, of course, to work more.
Sleep deprivation is a major issue today. Somehow we’ve deluded ourselves into believing that in order to be productive, we must be constantly busy, constantly doing. But resting is an act of faith – we have faith enough to slow down and rejuvenate the body and the soul. We are revived when we make time for silence and solitude. Resting is balm for the soul. Rest restores and balances us. It brings us back to the center and helps us refocus on what’s most important.
Slow down for a day and watch what happens. Your body will be recharged, and your spirit and mind will be revived. Make rest a rhythm in your schedule and see how you improve your spirit, your relationships, your work. Work has its place in our lives, but rest must never be sacrificed to get ahead or push forward in our careers. We truly discover who we are and who we’re meant to be in times of respite.