Rest.
A word I don’t really take into consideration.
If you’re anything like me, life is go go go.
I don’t stop.
I’m a perfectionist and I feel like I can’t say no to any good opportunity.
So I overwork myself, don’t sleep, don’t eat properly and am always exhausted.
It’s no ones fault but my own.
I take on more than I can handle and I know that.
(going to start reading the best yes soon lol)
Last semester was specifically tough on me.
I would leave my apartment around 7:30 every morning and not get back until 11pm or later every night.
Not really healthy.
I was having a starbz date one day with someone who quickly become a good friend and someone I’ve come to really look up to. She was talking about how she was feeling the same way and that she needed to take some time for herself.
Wuuuuut.
She was talking about how Jesus only stepped into full time ministry, traveling and spreading news about Him for just a few years, before then he was a carpenter.
I never thought of that before.
Often during His travels, Jesus would sneak away for alone time with God and to fully rest in His presence.
Y’all, Jesus rested!
I feel like we live in such a fast paced and go go go society and we’re wired to continuously keep going, when that’s not what our bodies want or what God wants for us.
As soon as she was saying the words about what was going on in her life, I knew that was God telling me to stop and rest.
This convo did happen the week before finals so I couldn’t really not then lol.. so I made the decision that over Christmas break I was going to rest.
I didn’t work and I’ve worked through the semesters and every break since I was 16.
I wasn’t going to make lots of plans and try to see a lot of people while I was home.
I wasn’t going to serve at church for those two weeks.
I was going to rest.
And I did.
Boy oh boy am I grateful I did.
I spent my Christmas break reading, hanging out with my parents and sleeping. lots of sleeping.
I’ve never really spent that long doing nothing before.
Rest can look very different for lots of people, but I knew I needed a mental, emotional and physical detox.
I feel like I’m still not fully recovered from the crazy of last semester.
But I’m more motivated now to do things than I was three weeks ago.
I’ve learned that it’s okay to say no. I don’t always need to hang out with friends, I don’t have to say yes to every opportunity presented to me and I can’t take on more than I could handle.
Stepping into my last semester of college, I’m going to make time for me and God, to rest in His presence and make sure I start getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep a night!
It’s okay to not be okay.
It’s okay to recognize that and make steps to being okay.
XOXO,
E.
