Original Post: August 9, 2021
This is the time of summer when I start feeling a bit anxious about what’s next. Summer camps have ended, bucket lists are filling up, the last big hooray has happened, and the schedule is already starting to fill up with upcoming to-do’s. The stores are putting out their fall decorations, the school supply lists are at the entrances, the signs of change are all around us again. I can already feel the tension rising as I think about the responsibilities and routines that are just a couple of weeks away. I have so enjoyed the extra down time, the time to rest. Rest is the key word here. In a world that is so full of hustle and bustle, we often forget to rest. I do not necessarily mean taking a nap or sleeping in (although those can be good things too), I mean sitting still and listening, not only to our bodies but to God.
Knowing that we are about to enter a busy time of year I feel like this is a good time to remind myself how I came to the realization this summer that I needed to be intentional about rest…
At the beginning of the summer I was trying really hard to get through a long list of tasks, trying to make sure that I was using my extra time to get stuff done. Never mind that I had already pushed myself too hard the past several months with school (taking twenty-one credit hours in one semester), trying to work as much as I could, and then, add on sending my boys back to school during a pandemic, my daughters spring sports schedule, family obligations, etc. I had taken on way too much and my emotions were all over the place. I had also started having a strange twitch in the side of my neck, like my heart was beating fast but in my neck. And even though it was now summer, I just kept pushing. One afternoon I was helping my son clean the seats in his car. I jumped in the back and scrubbed and scrubbed. My neck was hurting and pulsing and I had this weird zinging feeling moving through my shoulder, but I didn’t stop scrubbing. I just pushed through thinking to myself, “I gotta get this cleaned up, it’s important, and my boy will be so grateful that I did this…” I woke up the next morning, and I couldn’t move my neck. I could barely sit myself up in bed. I just thought I was stiff from the scrubbing, and a hot shower would help. I had things to do that morning and certainly didn’t have time for a sore neck. While I was in the shower my neck locked up and I panicked. I couldn’t wash my hair, or even raise my arms. It scared me. I got out of the shower in tears. My daughter had to help me get my clothes on. I immediately texted a friend who is a chiropractor asking if I could see him right way. I was still thinking to myself, “I don’t have time for this.” I had plans that afternoon and even though it was something I had planned to do just for fun, I still didn’t want to miss it. I was so frustrated that I finally had time to take a break and this happened… I still didn’t take the hint. I also had somewhere I needed to be that morning, it was about thirty minutes away. I got in the car and drove about twenty minutes before I had to pull over and have my daughter drive the rest of the way. This was silly. I was pushing myself to keep going when I really just needed to rest. When we got back to town, I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment, and then I went to my afternoon activity. I wasn’t going to slow down because of a silly kink in my neck. As you probably already know, the pain in my neck didn’t go away. I just took some ibuprofen and kept pushing. It was not until a couple of days later that I finally decided I probably needed to rest in order for things to get better. Surprisingly enough, after a few days of staying close to home and limiting my activity, the tension in my neck let up and the pain began to subside.
I tell this story not because I am wanting you to feel bad for me but to tell you that it took a painful situation to finally make me slow down a bit this summer and try to be intentional about taking care of myself: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I want to use this story as a reminder that even though things are starting to pick up again and changes are happening all around me, I still need to take time for rest. Because I slowed down this summer, I was able to not only get my emotions back in check, but I was also able to grow closer to God through my quiet times and my journaling (which are two of my favorite things to do). I also took time to read just for fun as well as for spiritual growth. This doesn’t mean that everyday this summer has been perfect and that I have been able to rest every single day, but it does mean that I have been more intentional about making time to be still, and that has made a big difference in my days.
As we begin moving into Fall and the kiddos start going back to school and our schedules begin to fill up, I want to remind each of us to take a minute each day to rest. To breathe for a second, to count our blessings. To simply spend time with God. We need down time and rest as much as we need air to breathe and water to drink. The bible tells us in Job 33:4 that “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” We also read in John 14:4 that, “those who drink the water I (God) give, will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Take some time to be renewed by the spirit. Soak in His presence and REST. Don’t shrug off your responsibilities, but also don’t fill your schedule so full that you forget the importance of being still. Try to carve out a few minutes in your day specifically for rest. Maybe that is setting your alarm ten minutes earlier than usual and praying before you get out of bed. Maybe that is getting to work a few minutes early so you can just sit in your car and listen to your favorite worship song before you go inside. Maybe instead of playing a game on your phone or looking at social media when you get home at the end of the day, you read your bible for a few minutes. There are a lot of ways you can be intentional about resting in God’s presence for a few minutes each day. Rest really is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. In Matthew 11:28 God says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” There are going to be times when each one of us will feel weary and burdened, but I want to encourage us to be intentional about making time to rest. I promise that you will feel completely different about life when you do. ~Blessings, TDB