On Tuesday, I woke up with a horrible tension headache. I’d been fighting tight muscles in my neck and shoulders since the weekend and woke up Tuesday feeling just miserable. Instead of working out, I spent 30 minutes stretching, trying to get some relief. No luck. I took some ibuprofen, dropped my kids off at school and came home still in pain.
I struggled with what to do next: I had Bible study to prepare for that evening and had a few other to-do items. I could try to press through and be productive or lie down to rest. Although my to-do list was calling my name, I crawled back into bed and took a two-hour nap. I woke up feeling so much better and ready to tackle the rest of the day!
Friends, sometimes the most productive thing we can do is rest.
That seems like a counter-intuitive statement, right? But it’s true! God designed our bodies and minds to need rest. We can’t go for 24 hours straight, He designed us to need sleep. We need regular time to recharge and to heal. We need moments of self-care for our bodies, our minds, and our souls. We should never feel guilty for taking the time to rest when we need it.
There are numerous verses in the Bible that remind us to rest:
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’” (Isaiah 30:15)
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He stores my soul . . .” (Psalm 23:2-3a)
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, not your manservant or your maidservant, not your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do.” (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)
As we head into the weekend, I want to remind you to make time for rest and self-care along with chores, kids’ activities, and your other plans. Don’t feel guilty about it, you need rest to be the best version of yourself.
For a few years now, my family and I have a Sabbath day on Sunday where we say no to doing a lot of other things and say yes to rest. Sunday afternoon naps are one of my favorite things! Resting on Sunday helps us to be refreshed and more productive for the week ahead.
A few years ago I wrote a two-part series about Sabbath rest. You can find those posts here:
Sabbath Rest: An Intentional Pause in a World That Never Stops – Part I
Sabbath Rest: An Intentional Pause in a World That Never Stops – Part II
How do you plan on resting this weekend?