SOSR Blog

Call it brain fog, an overactive mind or an overflowing to-do list—the effects are all the same:  exhaustion, fatigue, stress, and body pain.

Some days are just a blur...

Do you ever feel that sense of weariness or heavy burden…like you need a vacation or maybe just a weekend? And, then you realize it’s Monday morning and the weekend you longed for just passed.

Why is it that we feel more stress and fatigue on a Monday morning?

Could it be because our world operates in a 24/7 whirlwind? The idea of honoring the Sabbath Day and keeping it holy is a thing of the past.

How do you get intentional about “slowing down” when the world around you doesn’t seem to operate under these same standards?

Teaching on the weekend always creates an imbalance for me. The last time I taught on a Saturday and Sunday was five months ago. The struggle to find a day of rest to slow down was difficult back then.

It seems I picked up exactly where I left off in May.

Do you ever find yourself back in an old familiar scene? Could it be we are too busy to realize that God will not allow us to escape the lessons we are meant to learn?

I looked forward to this weekend of teaching as I had the opportunity to work with new people in a new town with a new teaching partner. Excitement filled the air.

The weekend went well. We all gained new insight from time spent with each other. I believe we all walked away Sunday afternoon tired, but inspired.

Driving home Sunday night, I felt really good about where I had just been, even knowing family events went on without me.

Why don’t we ever see this stuff coming? Recycled or not, these lessons always seem to come back around.

As the night went on, the exhaustion hit harder. The reality of what I missed weighed heavier. Then the Monday morning blues hit. I woke up with a scratchy throat and the beginnings of a head cold.

Both ailments slowed my steps, but only by a little bit.

I went on with my day—the way it was planned. Workout, planning, projects, emails, conference calls, and more planning consumed my day.

Some days are just a blur...

As the clock struck 4:00 PM, I finally allowed my body the opportunity to fight back with its fatigue. It was here that I actually did the smartest thing I did all day…cleared my appointments for the evening and slowed down to rest.

Why did it take so long for me to surrender to the exhaustion?

Rest—it’s a time to honor the weary in ourselves and each other. It’s a time to honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.

I have fallen into the mind trap that believes more is better. I have been dominated by the daunting to-do lists…again!

As I sit and shake my head, I think, “Didn’t I learn this lesson already?” It’s no wonder this scripture continues to come across my path:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  --Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Could it be He is calling me to “be still” and find rest in Him?

I have yet to fully let go and be still.  To capture the message He is trying to instill in me. To rest in Him, to trust in Him that all will get done and that He has the ability to multiply time.

Lucky for me, I get another chance to get it right as I enter into another weekend of work.

Repeated practice, isn’t that the way we learn?

Click here if you want to dig deeper in reflection.