Don’t Forget the Importance of Rest

I realize that we have just entered a new year. It’s easy to feel as though we should hit the ground running because there is so much to do and accomplish. However, ask yourself this question: “How much rest am I getting, really?” According to Anna Green of Mental Floss, a survey of 18,000 people across 134 countries revealed that 68% of people claim that they do not get sufficient rest. We all understand that work is necessary, and that work has existed from the beginning of time. However, in this modern day, we’ve seemed to have lost sight of fact that God also gave a prescription for rest. 

According to Forbes Magazine, there are 10 critical signs that you are being overworked. Among them is the difficulty in disconnecting, the feeling of doing the workload of multiple people, a loss of passion, regularly working overtime, and a deterioration of one’s health, just to name a few. 

We’re told in Genesis chapter 2 that God worked six days, and on the seventh day He ceased from working, rested, set that day apart, sanctified it and blessed it. In Exodus 20:8-11, God made a command of rest for the people of Israel, saying, Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days for working, but the seventh day is for rest because God set the example and made the seventh day blessed and holy. 

There is evidence throughout scripture that speaks to the need and benefits of rest. There are verses that tell us that even the land itself needs rest in order that it would be able to produce more and better harvest. As humans we know that when we are rested, memory and brain function improve. We also find increased passion, inspiration, and creativity. Our bodies are designed to repair itself when we rest. When we deprive ourselves from rest, our bodies cannot perform the natural functions that help keep us in proper working order. We begin to break down and grow weak and weary. 

I remember someone stating that they had an issue with resting and relaxing. The problem that came about because of that was that their body began to show them that if they weren’t going to rest on a regular basis, the body itself would force them by becoming sick at consistent intervals. A discussion with their doctor convinced them that had they simply taken the opportunities to rest, they would not find themselves in the position of consistently having regular hospital stays; not to mention that it would be cheaper and more enjoyable than what they were currently experiencing. 

I share all of this, realizing that we are living in a day and age when it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle, bustle, and excitement of a new year, yet forget that we should also consider the need for rest. I believe that it was author Michael Hyatt who once said that if you need to, schedule it. We schedule everything from meetings, events, engagements, doctor's and dental appointments, birthdays and more. If we’re struggling to find the time to rest, relax, and refresh, then a good way to ensure that we do this is by scheduling it. If we block off time in our calendars, and are diligent to treat it with the same importance as we do everything else that we schedule, we will find that we are giving ourselves permission to become stronger, more inspired, more creative, healthier, freer, and more balanced mentally, emotionally, and relationally. 

I pray that are you progress through this new year, you give yourself the space to become who you are called to be for you and those you serve.  Find the importance in resting. Part of being a culture healer is recognizing that you are at your best and most effective when you are your best. A healed person is able to heal others. It is my hope and prayer that you move through this year not just running on all cylinders, but one that regularly takes the occasional joy ride and even park. Just remember that in this year, it not just okay to rest, it is one way in which we honor God.