Have you ever said to yourself: "I wish I had more
time to relax," "I'm too busy to relax," or "I have too
much work and I'm exhausted." If you are like me, you have probably said
something along those lines before. I have found that as we get older we just
become more and more busy. That's probably why there's so much anxiety, stress,
and crankiness nowadays.
I think that we are forgetting something that is very important, not just to our physical health, but our mental health as well. We need rest. This is not a want it is a need. In Genesis 2:2 God does something we may not expect "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work." Did you catch that? God rested after his work was complete. Does God need to rest? No, he doesn't. Why did he rest? Because, he is the ultimate example for us. He rested because we are to rest. God wants us to work and do our best. But, if we don't rest, or we don't spend time with God, we will get burned out.
This idea reminds me of something my Aunt used to have. She had this plastic turtle with rubber legs that moved. I thought is was so cool because I didn't have a real pet at the time (bare in mind I was like 5 when I first saw it). The turtle also sang a song that went like this: "You gotta slow down, you're moving too fast. You gotta slow down, let go of the past. You're working too hard, you know it's true. You gotta slow down, and take some time for you."
Yes, work is important. God calls us to work hard to reflect his glory. But, he also knows we need rest. If we overwork ourselves it will harm our mental and physical health. As well as, we will not do as well at our work and probably hurt others emotionally. That's why we need to listen to the turtle. We need to slow down. We need to relax. We need to spend time with God. It's a hard balance, but an important one nonetheless.
So, are you overworking yourself? Do you spend time with God each day? What can you do to make sure you rest when you need it?
I think that we are forgetting something that is very important, not just to our physical health, but our mental health as well. We need rest. This is not a want it is a need. In Genesis 2:2 God does something we may not expect "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work." Did you catch that? God rested after his work was complete. Does God need to rest? No, he doesn't. Why did he rest? Because, he is the ultimate example for us. He rested because we are to rest. God wants us to work and do our best. But, if we don't rest, or we don't spend time with God, we will get burned out.
This idea reminds me of something my Aunt used to have. She had this plastic turtle with rubber legs that moved. I thought is was so cool because I didn't have a real pet at the time (bare in mind I was like 5 when I first saw it). The turtle also sang a song that went like this: "You gotta slow down, you're moving too fast. You gotta slow down, let go of the past. You're working too hard, you know it's true. You gotta slow down, and take some time for you."
Yes, work is important. God calls us to work hard to reflect his glory. But, he also knows we need rest. If we overwork ourselves it will harm our mental and physical health. As well as, we will not do as well at our work and probably hurt others emotionally. That's why we need to listen to the turtle. We need to slow down. We need to relax. We need to spend time with God. It's a hard balance, but an important one nonetheless.
So, are you overworking yourself? Do you spend time with God each day? What can you do to make sure you rest when you need it?
2 Timothy 3:16 and Exodus 34:21
Image from here.
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