Did you ever have nap time in kindergarten? Maybe you were like me and didn’t start school until first grade. While I may not have been in school at 5 years old, my mother still instituted nap time. Every afternoon after lunch, she would tuck me in my bed for a nap and then she’d stretch out on the sofa to rest her eyes for a minute.
I know it may surprise you, but I was a bit of a rebel. I didn’t like the idea of taking a nap. I was too afraid I would miss something. My mother, on the other hand, was exhausted raising three children and taking care of a house and would be fast asleep within minutes of sitting still.
Once I knew she was asleep, I would sneak out of my room and head into the kitchen. My plan was to help my tired mom out. I would “wash” the dishes in the sink – keep in mind I’m 4 or 5 years old doing this- and then I would put them away. The only problem was, I used cold water to wash them and didn’t bother to dry them before putting them in the cabinets. Ultimately, I created more work for her. 
We all need rest every now and then, even those of us who are too rebellious at times to know it.
Oh, I’m not talking about the 4 or 5 year old who wants to skip nap time. What about the person who can’t say no to volunteer work or the man who needs to stay just one more hour at the office to finish a project? Or the woman who has to go into the office, even when there’s snow on the roads, because the company is depending on her.
What about you? Do you take time to rest?
God created the world in six days and even He took a day of rest [Genesis 2:2]. In John 11:54 we read how Jesus went away to be with His disciples to get away form it all. He knew they needed time to refuel. Mark 1:35 says,
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.”
We can read of several times where God rested. Why do we think we don’t have to rest? Jesus took time away from His work to spend with His disciples, those closer to Him than a brother. He took time away from everyone to be with His Father. When was the last time you shut the world out to focus on your family (including shutting off the cell phone)? When was the last time you took a chunk of time to squirrel away with your Heavenly Father? It’s necessary. We were created to have rest.
Yesterday, as I was driving to my parent’s house I kept passing signs for rest stops. I found it interesting that very few cars, mine included, pulled into them. We simply cruise right on by the opportunity to rest. And then we wonder why we’re always exhausted, burned out, stressed out, freaked out, and maxed out. I felt like God was sending me a message in the road signs.
Take time to rest!”
I’m going to embrace that message. I’m going to enjoy some down time with my parents to rest and relax, recharge my batteries. How about you?
Leave A Comment