REST

It's Monday morning and I'm already exhausted.  I'm usually a "fan" of Mondays.  I love that it's the start of a new week.  I love that it feels fresh and full of new opportunities.   I love that I've usually come off of a relaxing weekend where I have re-charged my batteries and I feel rested and ready to take on whatever the week ahead has got waiting for me.  But today... THIS Monday.... it isn't my typical Monday.  I didn't get my "rest" this weekend.  This past weekend was filled with up with work, errands, and chores, which I typically do during the week.  I'm grateful for the extra "busy-ness", but man, I'm TIRED. 

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." -- Matthew 11:28

I read this today during my bible/prayer time this morning:
Physical exhaustion is God's way of telling us to slow down.  God expects us to work hard, of course, but He also intends for us to rest.  When we fail to take the rest that we need, we do a disservice to ourselves and to our families.

We live in a world that tempts us to stay up late -- very late.  But too much late-night tv, combined with too little sleep, is a prescription for exhaustion.

Jesus promises us that when we come to Him, He will give us rest -- but we, too, must do our part.   We must take the necessary steps to insure that we have sufficient rest and that we take care of our bodies in other ways, too.

As adults, each of us bears a personal responsibility for the general state of our own physical health.  Certainly, various aspects of health are beyond our control: illness sometimes strikes even the healthiest men and women.  But for most of us, physical health is a choice:  it is the result of hundreds of small decisions that we make every day of our lives.  If we make decisions that promote good health, our bodies respond.  But if we fall into bad habits and undisciplined lifestyles, we suffer tragic consequences.  

Are your physical or spiritual batteries running low?  Is your energy on the wane?  Are your emotions frayed?  If so, it's time to turn your thoughts and prayers to God's Son.  And when you're finished, it's probably time to turn off the lights and go to bed!

God wants you to get enough rest.  The world wants you to burn the candle at both ends.  Trust God.


So my questions for you this morning are:

What do YOU do to "re-charge" your batteries?   What steps do you take to make sure you aren't pushing yourself too much?

and 

How do you keep from feeling guilty when you have to say "no" to something or someone, rather than stretch ourselves so thin that we walk around exhausted all the time???   

Do tell....