Yes. Part Deux. Can anyone see the reference?  If so I salute you!

Here’s the thing…

The consensus is that many of us feel bad about resting. As I suspected, I am not the only one. And you aren’t either!

When did shame over letting ourselves recharge enter the equation?  What if we pull the thread on that thought.

Can we all agree that we have a good Father who wants to give us rest?

We also have an adversary. An evil one. Who will do everything in his power to prevent our rest and refreshment and recharge. Why?  Because we fill our buckets in rest. We meet God in our rest. We can face the day when we have rested. We are less reactive when we are rested. (Or maybe I am the only one?).

We can have a greater impact when we are rested because of that bucket that has been filled.

I don’t know about you…

But I want to have an impact!

So maybe rest is super important. Maybe it is a super power. Maybe we need it. Maybe we need to give ourselves grace to accept a gift from a good Father.

How can you rest today?  Even if only a few moments!

Whether it is putting your feet up with your Bible or a book, sitting in quiet for 5 or 15 minutes, taking a few deep breaths- find a way!

Even if it is a walk on this warm Sunday.  Or watching part of a football game or playoff baseball.  Find what gives you rest and take a little of that time.  You will be better prepared for what is next!

So thank you all for your help. I appreciate you all. Andrew and Stan- you are so right that we need to be intentional and maybe even schedule our rest. We schedule everything else, right?  Dom- we certainly have to know when to shut it down and take the time to power down. Alyssa- your equation of productive= successful= happy= responsible= maturity is exhausting!  There is a better way. And Sara and Erica- I hear you. I feel your pain. It is not rest if we are thinking about what we aren’t doing. And Karen- I love the check of a to-do list item, small reward, then rinse and repeat.

We weren’t meant to be 100% on and productive all the time. I hope we can slow down a bit, ditch the shame, #WINtheNOW and be present in our lives, and find times of rest. It’s what God wants for us.

Take a few deep belly breaths. You are loved. You are enough!