New Year's Tips and Encouragement: Part Second

Part Second is about REST.  This past Sunday, my pastor started a series entitled "The Year of the Sheep Shepherd." Something that struck me (because it is something I have trouble with) were his words on the Value of Rest.  I am not good with resting and relaxing.  I am wont to say that mothers don't truly get vacation because they still have to do their jobs even when the family is on vacation.  I also struggle because I come from a family of hard workers, and I never want anyone to say I am lazy.  So I am apt to be on the drive from early in the morning until after the kids go to bed; some of the only times I sit are for my devotions in the morning and perhaps at meals.  Taking more time to rest is a struggle because I feel as if I'm not useful if I'm not going full tilt all day long.

However, God gave us the Sabbath day and promised a Sabbath rest for a reason.  Humans can't keep up a ninety-to-nothing pace without damage to our bodies and souls.  God rested on the seventh day to give us an example, seeing as I doubt He actually gets tired like we do.  More importantly, He rested BEFORE mankind fell into sin.  So rest is not something needed because of sin in the world.

Americans are chronically busy and chronically sleep-deprived.  Why?  I can think of some reasons without doing any studies.  We want more and more.  We want more things, so we work earlier and later.  We want our kids to be more involved, so we sign them up for every sport and club imaginable (here we should probably start looking at why we do this--for us or for them?).  We don't want to say "no" to anyone, so we take on more than we can handle.  We feel guilty if we don't answer work emails twenty-four hours a day, so we keep our phones on non-stop.  (In passing, when I hear phones go off in church, I wonder why it is that we can't keep the wretched things off for two hours each week.)  We despise quiet because then we might just have to listen to ourselves in the stillness or even worse, listen for the voice of God.

So be encouraged.  If you aren't resting, you aren't alone.  But we all need it, so here are some things that have been useful to me.

First, I've had to tell myself that is alright if I am not a busy bee for every moment of the day.  I've read Scripture passages like Genesis 2 when God rested, Leviticus 25 where God commands that the land itself be allowed to rest for a year,  Psalm 23, where God provides us rest, or Hebrews 3 and 4 where God speaks of the Sabbath rest He will provide His people.  I still have to read them over and over and remember that the God who established resting periods will not shoot lightning at me because I took some time to relax my body and mind.

Second, I try to shut off the phone and the TV an hour or so before I want to go to sleep.  (NOTE:  this does not mean shut it off at 11:00 p.m. when you need to be up at 6:00 a.m.  Humans need about seven to eight hours of sleep to be functional, so studies say, but, paraphrasing Brian Williams of NBC, if you don't like that study, just wait; another you like better will come. So if you need to be up at 6:00 a.m., turn off everything electronic around 9:00 p.m.  Will you miss your TV shows?  Probably so, but you can either record them, or better yet, you will realize how little you actually need the society of bachelors, bachelorettes, survivors, crime scene investigators, lawyers, various so-called comics, and pretty much any "reality" show stars.)  I have little I like to watch anymore, and the world hasn't come to an end.  I shut off my computer around dinner time.  Those of you who have jobs where the boss wants you on call all the time have a harder decision, and you are the one to make that decision.  Do you want to be on call?  Do you need to be on call or has the boss just come to expect it?  You have to take into account various factors, including your health, your family, and how kind your boss is in deciding how to handle this.

Third, I try to have somewhat of a schedule for when I do things.  Ma Ingalls from the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder used to say that every day had its proper work.  So I try to spread out my work onto different days.  I clean certain parts of the house different days; I do laundry of sheets and towels one day; I do clothing laundry on another day; I bake on another day.  Each day has its own regular work, too, like schoolwork with my daughter, cooking, and washing dishes, but spreading out the other chores gives regularity and helps me not crowd everything on one day.  This also helps me not to over-schedule each day.  That way I can handle any "rabbit trails" that occur.

Fourth, I try to carve out about 10-20 minutes in the mid to late afternoon where I sit down, have a cup of tea, read a book or a magazine, or just sit.  That doesn't always happen, but when I do, I am less cranky and in a better mood by the time my husband comes home from work and I'm energized for the evening work ahead.  You might have to convince your children that you need this time, but it won't hurt them to amuse themselves for once.

So, relax, have a cup of tea, smell the roses, enjoy the life God has given you.