Sisters Take A Rest
Genesis 2:1-2
2 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work.
Mark 6:31
31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
2 Samuel 16:14
14 The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.[a]
June 30th was the end of the fiscal year for the company that I currently work for. I had set several career goals that I wanted to achieve by the end of June, and by the grace of God I was blessed to achieve them. I was determined that irregardless to how tired I already was, I would push through until I had accomplished them all. What I did not take under consideration, was that due to an illness that I have been dealing with recently, my energy level was just not where it once was.
For the twenty-five years that I have been working this particular job, I have not given myself permission as frequently as I should have, to just rest. I can blame no one but myself, for not taking better care of me. After all, if I am tired or not feeling well, and I won’t stop to rest or take a breather, how would anyone else know that I am exhausted and need a break. When people see you running like a chicken with her head cut off over and over again, they start to assume that you are fine, and that’s just the way you like doing life.
Well, I knew I was a bit tired, but I had no idea that I was literally running on fumes. About two days after the end of the month, I was so tired one morning, that no matter how hard I tried, I could not seem to get out of bed. I slept almost half the day away. The next day I also slept a lot longer than usual. My body was simply saying, you have got to stop, and it did not have to tell me twice. I had no gas left, and I could not go even if I had wanted to.
After having a few days to assess this situation and I have come to the conclusion that number one, I must take better care of myself. I am a bit older than I was twenty-five years ago and it is important that I make getting the proper amount of sleep each night a priority. It is also important that I carve out some days to rest and even have vacation time carved into my schedule. It is also equally as important for me to eat the foods that will boost my energy level.
In the past when I have taken time off, I have always ended up one way or the other, finding a way back to sneak in some work time. I have now decided that rest time, will be rest time, and work time, will be work time! There will be no more commingling of work and rest for me. I have given myself permission to rest with absolutely no guilt attached and I sincerely hope that if you are overworked and exhausted, that you will give yourself permission to do the same.
I realize that as women, we frequently put ourselves on the back burner. If we are going to be our best self for those that we love, we must get our rest. We must take better care of the one person that the family depends on most, and for sure, in most cases that is usually mom. I hope that from this day forward, that you will be encouraged, that it’s ok to take a nap and it is ok to take a few moments each day to sit down and curl up with a good book or even to take a bubble bath instead of a five-minute shower. Trust me, the world will not fall apart if you do, and even if it did, you could deal with it much better if you were well-rested.
Be blessed my sisters and get some rest!
Below I have listed a few benefits of getting rest:
1. You feel refreshed.
2. You have clarity of mind.
3. You make better decisions.
4. You are more pleasant to be around. (You are not grouchy)
5. You have more energy.
6. Your body heals more quickly when you are sleeping.
7. You won’t look tired.
Psalm 127:2
2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
