How much rest are you allowing yourself?

Ouch!

These team questions are really hitting home!

I sleep regularly - if I stay up till 11 or 12, I sleep about 7 hours and get in an hour nap in the late afternoon. I need more sleep than my husband - I am on the 8+ side, he is 6 or less.

Re Sabbath - my boundaries are blurry. Even on my 'day off' I check and respond to emails and am willing to schedule meetings if the need comes up. Because I am 'part time' (in pay) I end up working at least half a day Tues- Friday, plus Sunday. Saturday is often spent finalizing my sermon or worship details.

This summer we haven't taken a vacation, besides 4 days this past weekend, to travel for a family gathering - NOT a vacation. Our eldest is coming home 9/6 from South Korea for an extended break and we will do some family time then, but our youngest will be back in high school...so not a full week.

I followed someone who served 17 years and almost never took a Sunday off. His wife was the church sec and they'd go away during the week. Last Sunday was my second vacation Sunday and I got grumbles for wanting another in the end of Sept.

Planning for the fall has picked up and I am feeling anxiety build; the roller coaster is chugging up the incline, reaching the peak and I know the free fall (fall- Advent - Christmas) is coming soon.

Wow... I was just thinking of this today.

This week is our annual Vacation Bible School, and today we taught the story of creation. We recreated the creation story with power-point and several other cool effects. Needless to say, a 20 minute lesson took weeks of planning and setting up. As I was teaching the lesson this morning, I realized something. I was telling the children that God took a day off to rest on the seventh day. I said something along the lines that "I'm not God, but if I tried to make the whole world in one week I would need a day of rest." I was going for the relateable understanding that it is important to make time to rest...

It really hit me hard when I realized that I had spent all last week, planning for the upcoming VBS, chaperoning a youth event and working at a wedding... and Sunday was spent decorating the whole church for today... hhmmmm... Seems to me I forgot to plan an important part of my week. MY SABBATH!

This is something that I definitely need to work at... and the sooner the better!

I don't like going to bed early, either, so most of my sleep deprivation is self-inflicted. I usually try to take a half of a sleeping aid to help me fall asleep, but sometimes, even after taking the pill, I fight off sleep and end up not hitting the sack until well after midnight. Would make sense if I was doing anything of consequence, but I'm not! Well, I guess it's time for the Sunday afternoon name.

This is something that I struggle with. Some is self-inflicted in that I don't like going to bed early. And I have to be at work (full time job) at 7.

I have found that if I take a day or two off of work periodically, I do a little better. With all the activity of the last two weeks, I know that I need a day or two next week to recover.

Sometimes I think this is hopeless.

I work for a judicatory and often attend meetings in congregations three or four nights per week. Often those congregations are an hour away (or more) from my home. When the meeting ends at 9, and the pastor or member gets my ear for "a minute", I may be pulling into my driveway at 10:30 or 11 pm. I can't seem to go directly from behind the wheel to between the sheets without some transition time.

My two teenage daughters leave for school at 7 am. If I haven't seen them the night before, I feel like I must see them in the morning. 6 am is the latest I can wake up if I plan to talk to them at all. 5:30 if there is something important to discuss.

Needless to say, I really appreciate summer!

I know that this isn't healthy or sustainable, but I don't know what I can do to change it. Staff cut-backs mean that I am responsible for too many congregations.

I do take my sabbath on Fridays, but even then I have to get up early in the morning.

I am thinking of going back into the parish where I will have a little more control and won't need to commute as far to meetings.

Edited by: REVSERENA at: 7/30/2008 (21:42)

Good for you! And blessings on your 6th decade.
You look great!
Shalom!
Grad

I, too, thank you for your words of wisdom, Grad. I gave myself the gift of Sabbath rest when I first started my journey to renewed health and wholeness but then let it get away from me a few months ago.

This week is a vacation week for me. I'm using it renew my focus and commitment to my goal to be mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually fit and healthy as move into my 6th decade of living.

Ann

Blessings upon your Sabbath rest. May it be a sweet, sweet fragrance!
Grad

Hey UMUCGrad,

Thanks for your response. I appreciate what you are saying about the Sabbath rest as well. I just recently decided that I would observe the Sabbath rest and quit expecting so much from myself that is contrary to scripture. I have looked at Jesus so many times and known that I needed to re-organize priorities. I appreciate your sharing that with me.

I am a baby boomer and hard work was the most important thing taught in my home growing up. Some how I adopted the crazy idea that the harder I work, the better I will be. Isn't is wonderful that God doesn't expect that of us, rather he expects me to care for my body and my spirit.

Now if I can get that from my heart to my heart!

Marilyn

Greetings!

This is a wonderful question.

Long before I could even think about tackling my obesity I had to commit to two things: (1) a FULL day of Sabbath rest EVERY week and (2) 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Those two things were for me the beginning of being restored to wholeness.

Just as with tithing years ago I had to learn to put those two things first and that meant re-organizing my priorities.

Fortunately, I found in the gospels a wonderful role model in Jesus. I can find nowhere in the record evidence that he abused himself physically as we do. It seems to me that - as busy as his days were - he drew away from the crowds each night to pray and rest. He observed the Jewish shabbat and he took time for good meals.

Where did we get the insane notion that we are to sacrifice our bodies in service to him????

Edited by: UMUCGRAD at: 6/28/2008 (06:25)

Hello Brothers & Sisters,

Do you share a commonality of failure to rest as I do? I somehow distorted the difference between Christian service and self-neglect, and now have to battle my way back to reality. Fat on my body is an indicator for me personally (not to say it is for anyone else) that my spiritual life is suffering.

I need to connect with godly people on the same path.

Romans 12:1 (The Message) "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you. take your everyday, ordinary life--your eating, sleeping, going-to- work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering."