Rest Yourself

Places to go. People to see. Things to do. It seems like there's always something going on and not enough time to get everything done. Busy becomes your middle name! By the time you finally catch your breath, it seems like you have to get ready for the next day. 24 hours seem to go by real quick! We're all given the same amount of time. As busy as our lives are, it is so important that we take time to rest. I am constantly working on this and reminding myself of this all the time! Rest means being still and not doing anything. Rest is something we need every day. Our physical bodies needs rest. Our minds need rest. We can do so much that we are physically and mentally exhausted and our thoughts are running all over the place. When we're tired, we can't give and do our best. No matter what age we are, we all need our rest. I know we sometimes feel like we need to be doing something every minute of the day, but I've learned that this is not so. We can rest and it's perfectly okay! So each day, let's take some time to rest. Just like we schedule meetings and appointments, let's schedule our rest. It can start off with 5-10 minutes each day, then increase as time goes on. In those minutes, we can sit down  and put on soft music. We can put down the phone or turn off the television. We can write in a thankful journal where we write down at least 5 or more things we are grateful for in that day. I keep a thankful journal and it's one of the best things I ever did! I took a challenge several years ago to start the journal and write down at least 10 things I was thankful for. Some days I remember thinking how am I going to write down 10, but now I write down that many and more! When we really sit down to reflect and be still, we can hear or see something that we didn't see before. We notice things we didn't notice before. We can really listen clearly and respond the right way. There is no noise that is causing distractions. In the Bible in Numbers 9:8, Moses told the people to be still, so he could hear what God was saying. Moses needed to hear God clearly for the next move. In I Kings 19:11-12, God revealed to Elijah what he needed him to do. He didn't reveal in the big things like the earthquake, wind, or fire, but in a still small voice. So let's get our rest every single day. It's in the stillness that we can hear God's instructions clearly. It's in the stillness that we can really reflect and examine our own lives. It's in the stillness that we're reminded of who we are are and can be refreshed and renewed. You need you. God needs you. Others need you. So in the midst of everything else we make time for in our lives, let's make sure we take time to rest. Rest yourself!