Biblical Rest: Why God Wants You To Slow Down This Christmas
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27
I know you're tired. If you're reading this article, unfortunately, there's probably a 100% chance that you are tired. But don't worry, I know it's not your fault. I mean between work or school or both, the holidays, final exams, your kids, your family, your side hustle, all the traveling you've been doing, the household chores, your dog that will get potty trained but just won't stay potty trained, and the draining emotional damage five o'clock traffic causes, it's just not your fault. It's the world we live in. This crazy world that's spinning a million miles an hour every second and just won't let you calm down. It just won't let you take a breather.
Society glorifies those with bags under their eyes, and if you got 8 hours of sleep last night, your peers might shun you. Again, not your fault. But why do we buy into this? The bible says "there remains a sabbath rest for the people of The Lord," so why do we refuse to claim it? Why do we glorify exhaustion? Coffee shops use your yawns as a means to get you into their drive thru, we make small talk about how little sleep we get, and the comparison game that runs rampant on social media makes it seem as though it's a criminal act to simply do nothing, to relax and have a lazy moment, let alone a lazy day. This is wrong, backwards, and cruel of us to maintain. Psalm 127:2 reads "In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for He grants sleep to those he loves." WOAH THERE!!!!! In vain??? Yes, yes you dear reader He's talking about YOU!!!!!!! It is SELFISH of you to resist rest. It's ridiculous to think we must work beyond our limits to make up for what we don't think God can or will do. He grants us sleep because He LOVES us, not because He wants us to miss out on something.
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27
Jesus whispers to you, "Come to me and I will give you rest." He begs you to remember the sabbath and keep it holy. Why? Because rest is an act of worship. It's a loving command from our heavenly father who wants what's best for us. He could've easily made the world in 6 days, in fact, He did. But he RESTED on the seventh day. He didn't rest because He needed to, all of creation wasn't an exhausting task for our King, no. But He probably looked at Adam and recognized his potential for weakness. A place under his eyes that looked prone to bags, observed the way He created muscles and noticed their potential to get sore, did the math and declared we simply need sleep. We need rest. So God rested to show us how it's done. He loves his children enough to create a perfect example of how we restore ourselves.
The message of this article?? SLEEP!! Lay down and SLEEP because God asks you to. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Do you really think running on little to no sleep is going to make you your best self? The kindest parent? The most attentive student? A joyous employee or employer? Do you think sleep deprived and cranky is how God likes to accomplish His Kingdom work? No, probably not. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit, a son or daughter of the Maker of the universe, and He wants you to rest. Yes He wants you to accomplish your goals and work hard and be passionate, but He wants you to do it with joy in your heart, a pep in your step, and energy. The Bible calls us to do everything as though we are doing it for The Lord, and I think that means with fervent, equipped, rested spirits.
"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8
Where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is FREEDOM, not the obligation to have eyes as tired as your next door neighbor. Freedom to listen to your body and take care of it. Sleep when it asks you to sleep, rest when your body begs you to slow down and rest, whatever that looks like for you. Sometimes this is hard, but we are called to be obedient, even when it isn't easy.
I ask of you this crazy holiday season, don't try to keep up with the Joneses, keep up with yourself. Take care of yourself. You don't have to go to every store, you don't have to go to every party, you don't have to make up for the extra calories consumed, you don't have to buy every single person you know a gift, but you do have to obey your Heavenly father who wants you to rest. After all, He is the reason for the season.
