Would you believe what happened this morning?
Nothing. I slept ELEVEN hours last night. And when I woke up, the house was still standing. My people were all okay. The world didn’t stop turning. Nothing happened.
Sometimes, we need rest. Sometimes, we need a lot of rest. And sometimes, we can’t pinpoint a reason “why.”
I struggle to accept this. Somewhere down the line I bought into a lie that says needing rest is a sign of weakness. Where did that come from? I don’t even know. But accordingly to the lie, it’s only acceptable to rest if you have a legitimate reason, like exercising too hard, recovering from illness, not getting enough sleep the night before, and so forth.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes my body just says, “I need more sleep. Give it to me. And don’t ask why.” (Spoiler alert: I always ask “why.”)
Today, I am trying to confront that lie. God, in His infinite wisdom, knows things I do not. Maybe I need rest now because something difficult is looming on the horizon. Who knows? But I’m trying to learn to listen to my body, be kinder to it, and be more accepting of its needs.
Even Jesus needed rest, y’all. You can read all about it in my soon-to-be-released devotional book, “Inside and Out: Living Like Jesus in Today’s World.”
I’m preaching to myself here. It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to sleep. It’s okay to take a nap. It’s okay to curl up in a hammock without so much as a book or a phone . . . just the sounds of the birds and the breeze. Breathe deeply. “Nothing” will happen.
Expressively HIS ... 