Get Some Rest

“The city never sleeps.”
“We’re here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
“If you snooze, you lose.”
With so much business to attend to, personal interests to pursue, and the buzz of so much social energy, there seems to be hardly any time for rest. But taking time out is part of the natural order of things. Without rest, we find ourselves in an ongoing cycle that leads to becoming burnt out, sick, and just plain exhausted.

God created the world in six days. After putting forth all the energy and detail into creating the earth we live in, He took a seventh day to rest (Genesis 2:2-3). When leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, God directed His people to follow His example and set aside a Sabbath day for rest and worship (Exodus 20:8-11).

Today, the pressure is on. For many people, in order to be the best at what they do and get the things they want—or even just to keep up—means putting in extra hours and putting personal needs aside. This leads to a cycle of people working late, working weekends, and working themselves to death. Literally.

The saying, “I’m sick and tired,” is actually very revealing. Studies have proven that a lack of sleep can wear down the body’s immune system. The more tired you are, the more vulnerable you become to getting sick. Rest is essential to good health.

On another note…”the city that never sleeps” is also the city that has one of the highest crime rates. Ever wonder why residential neighborhoods with hardly any illicit activity are called, “sleepy towns”? Because when almost all of the residents are in bed at 9 p.m., there’s not a lot of criminal activity going on!

Rest is also important to our spiritual health. A weary mind gives way to low impulse control, leading us more susceptible to sin. And when we neglect to set aside time for worship, we not only disobey God’s ordinance to keep the Sabbath holy, but we don’t get the rejuvenation we need to stay spiritually refreshed.

I’m taking another look at the importance of rest in my life—and adjusting my schedule accordingly!