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| Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash |
Being overtired contributes to our mental wellbeing more than we sometimes realize. When exhaustion hits, my body feels weighed down and my minds feel foggy. Thinking clearly becomes difficult. My fuze gets shorter and I become grumpy. Everything is more challenging when I'm tired. Several things become more difficult when I'm tired: managing my temper, prayer, working on recovery, etc.
Tiredness is often a combination of different things working against us. Maybe you didn't sleep well, then had a difficult day at work, as you walk into your home that night, you slip on one of the kids toys in the driveway and by the time you get to the front door your blood is boiling. I will let you use your imagination on what happens to the people inside who have been eagerly waiting for you to get home.
Life moves fast, we drink instant coffee, eat 2 minute noodles, access information instantly, send emails and text messages at the speed of light. But we don't rest. The speed increase of communication has burdened us. Who can keep up with all the Friend requests, latest trend videos, emails, group messages, etc. that demand our immediate attention.
The value of rest
God knows the value of rest. After creating everything, He rested on the 7th day. Not because He was tired, but to give us an example and to show us that rest is important.
When God gave his Laws to the Israelites, they are commanded to rest every seventh day. Even the fields where crops are planted are given rest every 7 years. Why do you think this is? It is difficult to be at your best when you are over tired. God was showing them that rest is important.
Setting healthy boundaries
In our careers and even in our personal lives, we need to set healthy boundaries. Refusing to work 14 hour work days is not being lazy, having time to rest is important and what about having time to spend with your family and with God?
Some men work too much, never at home, always feeling overwhelmed. Others are always helping a neighbour or a friend with their car, washing machine, etc. Your poor family never sees you, even the dog doesn't recognise you any more.
Digital detox
Always being glued to a screen isn't healthy and I also need to reduce the amount of screen time that I get. It doesn't refresh me, steals my time and adds to my stress. Taking breaks from the digital world is an important part of my mental wellbeing. My soul longs for quiet moments to spend with God and for us to work through my wounds. That takes stillness and time, the two things that I don't have when I'm focused only on my phone screen.
The danger of always being busy
When the devil looks at a Christian, he doesn't give up on him. He knows that if he can overload you, you will burn yourself out. With the fast pace of life, the demands from our work and personal lives, responsibilities stack up to more than we can handle. And then we break down, grabbing for comfort from our coping mechanisms, no matter what the long term consequences are. When we are overwhelmed we go into survival mode, we get tunnel vision and relapses can become more frequent.
Elijah and the angel
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah has a shown down with the prophets of Baal. God shows up mightility and Elijah witnesses miracles. But in the next chapter, we find him afraid and running for his life. The Queen sent death threats and at first glance I'm scratching my head as to why someone who saw these great miracles would feel like this.
In chapter 19:4, we find Elijah sitting under a broom tree. Then he shouts to God, "I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." CSB
He goes to sleep and is awakened by an angel, who gives him bread and water. He eats & drinks and promptly goes back to sleep. Later the angel wakes him again and he eats & drinks again. Energised from the rest and provisions he is able to get up and continue on his journey. It is possible to get so tired, that everything just feels like too much. At this point recovery is near impossible.
Jesus invitation
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." CSB
Jesus invites us to come and find rest. Breathe deeply and imagine what it would feel like right now, to have perfect rest and to be perfectly at peace. This is only possible through Jesus.
In Matthew 13 we find the parable of the sower. A man sets out in the morning, walking with a bag of seed he indescriminately sows it everywhere. On the road, on the rocks, between thorns and on good fertile ground. When the weeds come up, they choke the seed that grew. This is a warning to us, when our lives are so full of stuff that there is no place for God, we are in trouble.
Psalms and rest
In Psalm 23 David paints a picture for us of his relationship with God. God leads him, brings him to rest, provides for him and brings him peace. The Psalms are full of battles, hardships and God rescuing his people. Will we allow God to grant us rest, by spending time with Him? Or are we simply too busy binging Netflix or Tiktok videos?
Rest and recovery
Recovery is a process, it takes time to work through our wounds and issues. But what happens when we don't make the time to allow God to work on our hearts?
I believe that rest is an integral part of the process. You might need to go on a digital detox as part of recovery. I have deleted my Facebook account and stopped my streaming services. I still need to cut down on time spent on YouTube.
In my imagination I can see Jesus calling me to follow Him. Hebrews 12:1 mentions the great cloud of witnesses (the heroes of faith) that surround us, and calls for us to lay down the things that hinder us and the sin that ensnares so, so we can run the race before us. The things that hinder us are different from sin. Facebook, Streaming services, etc. Don't have to be bad (there is good content there too), but if something is making it harder for you to follow Jesus, because it is stealing your time or your rest, then it is time for us to prayerfully consider what to do with them.