REST YOURSELF!

 

 

Relaxation Escape Sleep Tranquility

(Gen. 1:2,3) “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

(Matt. 11:28) “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

(Heb. 4:9, 11a) “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest.”

Rest: Freedom from activity or labor. Repose.

Who does not benefit from taking a break from activities or laboring? Our bodies were not designed to be like the Energizer Rabbit. Even God took the time to rest after creating the universe and everything within it. Even God recognized the importance and benefits of rest. He made our bodies so it will shut down when we stop to rest as an anesthesiologist does to patients before surgery. It’s amazing how when we are sleep, we are not conscious of what is going on because He has shut everything down and causes us miraculously to get up again. What a God!

As I age, I realize that my body cannot function full-speed as it did when I was younger. Sleep and rest is necessary. God meant for us to “take a break”! If you notice in the second chapter of Genesis, God didn’t proceed to make man and woman until He had rested. Rest allows us to refresh ourselves, re-energize, relax, and regroup so we can be effective at whatever we do. A body at rest will allow our organs to recuperate and the mind is given an opportunity to remember and think clearly. Medicinal methods used to make us rest are temporary and may cause side effects. Just plain rest is much better without being medicated.

          Don’t feel guilty when you take a break and do NOTHING! Your body, mind and spirit need it! You are not going to be punished by God for resting! He requires that you do. Believe me, the world will continue to rotate if you rest or don’t rest. Take some “Me” time! You will feel better, perform better and be more useful to those you’re surrounded by when you rest. You are useless when you are tired, burned-out, and ineffective due to lack of rest. We shouldn’t take a vacation to work, but should work to take a vacation! Enjoy life by enjoying resting!