Do you ever wake up on Monday morning to start a new week even more tired than you were the Friday before? It happens to me all the time. My son must feel the same way because every Tuesday morning at breakfast he prays, “Oh God, thank you that it’s not Monday anymore!”
God planned for the Sabbath to be a day of rest, but I often fill my Sundays with housework, chores, and errands, so that I sabotage the Sabbath God intends for me. God ordained a healthy rhythm of work and rest, so that we could be refueled, but we refuse that rest in so many ways: we fill our days with back-to-back activities, we work at night from home, and we stay up late, all in an effort to get more done.
My word for 2015 is REST. I want to learn from Jesus how to take a real rest.
Real rest comes when we take regular time to be renewed by fellowship with Jesus. We need time every day in Jesus’ presence. His life-giving Spirit refuels our energy and renews our perspective. Real rest comes when we take a Sabbath time weekly –whether it’s Sunday or another day– a time to slow down, enjoy our families, and focus on our relationship with God.
And when it’s time to get to work? Real rest comes when we walk and work with Him in an attitude of trust. We can trust that God will enable us to do everything He’s calling us to. We can trust that God is faithful. He is at work when we leave Him our worries, instead of carrying them around with us. We can leave off working at a decent hour, spend time with our families, and lay our heads down to sleep at night knowing that God is in control. We don’t have to make it all happen ourselves.
Real rest is what happens when you:
Streamline your life according to God’s priorities.
Focus on the essentials and say no to other things.
Let go of being superwoman.
Now it’s your turn: Do you every feel like you’re struggling to be superwoman? What helps you to get the rest you need?
I’m linking up with Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday. Writers all around the world join in a flash mob of free writing. Five minutes. No editing. This week’s prompt is “Real.” Join us over at Kate’s place for fun and encouragement.
Also joining with Counting my Blessings, Grace & Truth, and The Weekend Brew.
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No, I can’t ever say I’m feeling like I’m trying to be Superwoman…
Not Superman, either. The necessities have gotten so hard that it’s simply a struggle to get through them, and morale breaks are few and far between.
I kind of like the Cape Buffalo as my symbolic animal. He just keeps on going, no matter what. Rest is what he gets between each step; he doesn’t ask for more.
He just wants to be left in peace.
But woe betide the hunter who merely wounds him. Because the buff will circle back and actually stalk his assailant.
And when he gets the drop, the results are spectacularly messy.
I like that image of resting between each step, Andrew. Kind of like we rest in between working. Hope you have a good weekend.
I needed this reminder so much! I have been feeling tired lately, and I know a large part of it is not focusing on finding my rest in Jesus. I hope you have a wonderful day. I am pinning this so that I can be reminded of this in the future.
Thanks for your encouragement, Jolene. I hope you’ll get some physical and spiritual rest! They go hand in hand, don’t they?
great post betsy! i love that scripture passage. in this case, i think i prefer the context and verses in the older translation vs.. the newer one.
blessings as you minister in the middle east!
Yes, I like the older version, too, but sometimes the Message brings out such interesting insights. Blessings on your weekend, Martha.
Betsy, wonderful post. Real rest = “We don’t have to make it all happen ourselves.” Rest in Him. So grateful for this reminder!
Hello sweet friend. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have many opportunities to let go of trying to make it happen and seeing Jesus work instead!
Beautiful post and a great reminder to draw closer to Jesus and find my strength from Him. Have a blessed weekend Betsy!
You have a great weekend yourself, Barbie. I’m hoping to stop spinning my wheels and slow down to rest a bit! 🙂
Let go of being a superwoman! Yes! We weren’t designed to be everything to everybody all the time. Rest is a perfect word for this year. May you find it in Him (and in your Sabbath, lol) Your neighbor at FMF. ♥
Thank you, Nannette. I think rest is a perfect word, too.
Real rest takes trust doesn’t it? This is a great post. It’s easy to think of rest as doing nothing, but if I’m trusting His guidance then He will lead me to the rest that will bless me most. Enjoy a wonderful restful weekend.
Yes, real rest does require trust, you are right, Deb! Trust so we can quit worrying, and trust so we can take time out without being concerned that we’re not getting things done.
Betsy,
In my middle age, I am enjoying the luxury of grabbing a nap when I can get one. For health reasons, I really have to guard my sleep, but being well rested helps me with the spiritual battles as well. Physical rest contributes to good soul rest. Thanks Betsy 🙂
Blessings,
Bev
I couldn’t agree with you more, Bev. Physical rest and soul rest are intertwined. Glad you can take naps!
Reblogged this on A Place For Blogs I Like.
Betsy, I was recently reading Karen Swallow Prior’s book Fierce Convictions, which is about abolitionist and social reformer Hannah More, who lived in the 17/1800s. One of the things that struck me was the efforts More and her friends made in trying to encourage Sabbath observance in society. Servants were often required to work 7 long days per week with few breaks. And even the higher-class political figures noted that some of their colleagues were committing suicide because of overwork and unwillingness to take time off. So More was trying to encourage people to take (and to give their staff) that weekly Sabbath rest for the good of society as a whole. I guess there truly is nothing new under the sun. I think part of the problem is a need for control: we’re afraid to take a break because what will happen if we’re not doing such & such. What will people think? What if it doesn’t get done right or even done at all? But if we trust that God is in control and that He knows what we need, then we don’t have to feel that it’s all up to us. So I think real rest is a great thing to ponder today.
I so appreciate your thoughtful comments, Jeannie. Yes, we tend to think of overwork as being a 21st century problem, but I guess it existed back then too. I think you’re right about the need for control. We’re afraid to take a break because we don’t trust that God will help us get our work done. I read an interesting story about a boat factory in WW II that made more boats each week working 6 days than other companies that worked 7 days a week.
I agree that real rest is when we streamline our life according to God’s priorities. Isn’t it amazing how fast we can insert our own priorities into the mix and believe that they are from God? Thank you for reminding me to slow down, let God be in charge and breathe deeply of life that comes from God. Have a blessed weekend!
And thank you for linking up with The Weekend Brew! Love seeing you there!
What a title for a post! It definitely drew me in. I’m not good at resting…real or otherwise. I am, however, trying to do better, especially on the Sabbath. Great post, Betsy.
I’m not so good at resting either, now that you mention it, Leah. That’s why I chose that word. 🙂 I think Sabbaths are a good place to start.
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. When I forget this truth, my wheels spin. You’ve given us much to think about coming into a busy weekend. Thank you.
This is the verse I chose to go with my word for the year, Michele! Don’t you love it?
Beautiful post, Betsy! It made me want to rest! I love your son’s prayer on Tuesday morning! I feel that way myself many days. On my calendar for tomorrow, I have “Sabbath” scrawled across the page! Thanks for these reminders, sweet friend!
Thanks, Ellen. I hope you get a good rest tomorrow! I don’t know what it is about Monday, but we’re usually glad when Tuesday starts around here. 🙂
Betsy, what impactful words in such a short writing time. I need to “Streamline my life according to God’s priorities” for sure and probably need to do away with some of my superwoman-wannabe attitude 🙂 Have a great day, Kim Stewart
http://www.kimstewartinspired.com
Thanks for your sweet encouragement, Kim. I actually set a timer for 25 minutes. No way I could write anything but gibberish in just 5 minutes. But I think several of the #fmfparty ladies write for longer as well.
Yep, you just describes me at this very moment! I’m thinking next weekend calls for a rest from housecleaning!
I know what you mean, Kristine! As much as I try to get housecleaning done during the week, I don’t get to it. On the weekend I set a timer for an hour on Saturday, and what gets done, gets done. Sunday I MIGHT do one or two light tasks.
The need for rest is constantly on every woman’s mind. The question is, do we allow ourselves to have a real Sabbath? Is God big enough to make up the difference when we take a much needed break to sit at His feet and rest? I have found Him to be faithful and I get much more accomplished when I daily make time to rest with my Savior! Thank you for taking the time to write this VERY ENCOURAGING post!
A great post, Betsy. I find myself very busy with ministry involvement on Sundays. Some aspects of the day are restful, but overall a better descriptive word is probably “hectic.” Thank you for the reminder of this admonition from the Lord – I’ll be consider how He wants me to respond. I’m so glad you linked up with us at Grace & Truth!
Hi, Jennifer. I’m in ministry too, so I get what you’re saying. Sunday is not a rest day at all for me. I used to take Monday afternoon off, but that just changed on me, and I haven’t gotten back in the swing of regular Sabbath time again!
Love the this post and the wonderful Message version of Matt.11:28, it is in my post, too❤️ http://bethwillismiller.blogspot.com/2015/03/extravagant-grace.html