A Little Rest Goes a Long Way

We had a busy weekend around here. Friday night hockey practice, a soccer tournament on Saturday and Sunday, a festival at church and AWANA made for a go-go-go weekend. We ended the weekend more tired than when we started it.

My youngest gets up at 6 a.m. nearly every morning. It's like she has an internal alarm clock that pops her out of bed on the stroke of 6. It doesn't matter if she went to bed late or early. If she sleeps until 7, one of us usually ends up going to check to make sure she's still breathing.

These two factors made yesterday a long day. When my youngest gets tired, she loses the ability to think before she speaks. It's like her brain is too tired to filter out what's appropriate and what's not. And yesterday that filter wasn't working at all. By the time I took her to hockey practice last night, I was done dealing with her mouth.

When we're tired, we generally don't make the best decisions. Our brains can't function well without the right amount of rest. Too often, we're quick to sacrifice that rest for other things.

I heard about a recent study on the news the other day that said teenagers who get less than eight hours of sleep a night are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. It makes sense. Lack of rest equals lack of good decision-making. The scary statistic in the study was that 67 percent of all teenagers get less than eight hours of sleep a night.

We're raising a generation of sleep-deprived children. A generation of children that don't know how to rest. We run from activity to activity with little to no down time, and we expect our kids to continue at this pace with no end in sight.

God knew the value of rest for our mortal bodies. As a matter of fact, He thought it was so important, He instituted a day of rest. Exodus 20:11 says "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

The Old Testament Jews were not to do any work on the Sabbath. They couldn't cook or work in the fields. They even had rules about how many steps they could take. It was a day of rest for their bodies and their minds.

As we raise our kids, we need to remember that even God set aside time for rest. Our minds and bodies weren't meant to function indefinitely on five or six hours of sleep a night. Kids need at least eight hours of sleep a night, usually more. Make rest a priority in your home so your kids can make good decisions.

• Set a consistent bedtime. My girls have the earliest bedtime of all their friends. My youngest is in bed by 8 p.m. most nights, and lights out for my oldest is at 8:30. Don't be afraid to have an early bedtime for your kids, especially if you have an early riser like we do. On busy weeks, I've been known to have my youngest in bed before 8.
• Set aside time for rest. On busy weekends, we often have what we call quiet time in our house. We send the girls off to their rooms and tell them to play quietly for an hour or two. While this isn't a time when they lie down, it is a time of rest for their brains and bodies.
• Don't be afraid to say no. If you look at your calendar and see nothing but a sea of activity for the next month, don't be afraid to cut things out or say no to the next invitation. If you miss a soccer game or a birthday party, it won't be the end of the world. Your family just might be healthier and happier because you said no.

God designed our bodies to need rest. It's up to us to make sure our families have time for it.

Friday Introductions: Terri Lynne Underwood

I've been struggling this week with God's plans for me this fall. I've been teaching ladies' Bible studies for nearly a decade. I love it. I love watching women experience God's word in a new way, some for the first time. I love seeing women's lives change because God is working in their lives. And I love the sweet fellowship that comes from a group of women getting together and studying God's word.

Yet, when I got an email from our Bible study coordinator this week asking me what I was going to be teaching this fall, I couldn't muster any enthusiasm for the task. I've been praying all summer about teaching this fall. God never gave me any clear direction on teaching a study. And the more I thought about teaching, the less excited about the prospect I became.

This week, I sat down with our discipleship pastor and his assistant and asked them to help me figure out a direction for the fall. I was surprised when they both said, maybe I should take a rest and spend some time letting God fill me up rather than teaching others. I had toyed with the idea of taking the semester off but had pushed it aside, thinking that couldn't possibly be what God wanted. I mean, why wouldn't He want me to teach His word, right?

Yet, the more I thought and prayed about it, the more convinced I became that taking at least one semester off is what God is calling me to do. While I love teaching, and I will certainly go back to it, I know God is calling me to do some things with the Everyday Truth ministry that I simply don't have the time or the energy for if I'm also teaching a study every week. I also know that this fall is going to be crazy busy with my girls and their activities, and I have clearly heard God saying that this is a time when my girls need my attention.

As I pondered taking a rest, I came across a fantastic website that just happened to be in the middle of a series on Biblical rest. It was confirmation for me that I needed to slow down and take a break. If you're looking for a Biblical perspective on rest check out Teri Lynne Underwood's blog "Encouraging Lives Where the Sacred and Secular Collide." Her series on Biblical rest is encouraging and challenging.

On her site, you'll also find some great posts on parenting, marriage and living a balanced life. Terri is also the author of an e-book, Parenting from the Overflow.

If you're trying to decide if God is calling you to rest, check out her series "Slow: Understanding Biblical  Rest." God designed us to need rest, both daily rest and rest from certain activities at certain times. She points out that not only do we need rest, but we need to teach our kids to rest as well. The constant go, go, go of our lives keeps us from seeing and hearing God. We need rest to be close to God.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.: (Matthew 11:28) He is the source of rest, but we can't enjoy that rest if we are too busy to come to Jesus. It is in the restful moments that we hear God and can be filled with His grace and love. If we can't be still, we can't truly know God.
So, as I enter a season of rest, I hope you'll check out Terri's take on the subject and consider whether God is calling you to a season of rest, so you can get to know Him better.

Memory Monday: Finding Refreshment (Isaiah 50:4)

If this weekend was any example of what the summer is going to be like, then I think it could be a long summer. My girls seemed to be constantly picking at each other and arguing over things. On Saturday, my oldest told me she didn't have anything to do. All I could think was "Summer hasn't even started yet, and they're bickering and bored."

It took me another 20 minutes to figure out that they weren't actually bored or argumentative. They were exhausted. You know that moment, when you look at your child and you realize you're trying to rationalize with a child who is incapable of rational thought at that moment? We had one of those this weekend.

The best response to a child who is irrational due to exhaustion is a nap -- no matter the age. Refreshing their bodies always makes a huge difference in their attitudes. After our irrational moment this weekend, I pulled my kids inside, sent the irrational one to the shower and strongly suggested she lay down. An hour later, she came to the dinner table refreshed and ready to deal with the world. She was even able to laugh at how irrational she had been.

Too often, we're no different than our kids. Exhaustion -- both in body and soul -- can make us irrational. Everything looks worse and more difficult when you're physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted. We don't make good decisions, and we often take out our frustrations on those nearest to us. I hate to admit that if I'm tired, you really don't want to be around me. I'm grumpy and , yes, often irrational.

Sometimes, I just need a nap. But, you know what? I hate taking naps. I feel like they are a waste of time. There are so many other things I could be doing with that time. Never mind that I feel better after I take one.

When we're weary of all that the world has thrown at us, God offers to give us rest and strength. Yet, too often, we try to deal with everything on our own. If we'd just stop and spend a few minutes with Him, God would fill us with the strength to sustain us through whatever comes our way. Isaiah 50:4 says "The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary."

God's word offers us strength in times when we are weak. It offers refreshment in moments when we don't think we can take another step. Yet, too often, we skip our time with God because there are other things that need to be done. We choose not to be refreshed by His word just like I often choose not to take a nap.

We need God's sustaining power, and the only way to get it is to spend time reading His word. As you memorize this verse this week, emphasize with your kids that God's word is like a nap. It refreshes us and gives us strength, especially in moments when we are tired and don't think we can take another step. God's word builds us up so we can face whatever comes our way.

Figure out how you're going to fit reading God's word into your day and help your kids find a time in their day to set aside to read God's word. If your children are small, find a time in the day when you read God's word together. Even the youngest children can be refreshed by hearing God's word. Make it a priority to find refreshment and sustenance in God's word every day.

Memory Monday (on Tuesday): Isaiah 40:29-31

The past few nights, I've been heading to bed early. I've found myself simply worn down and exhausted by the demands of my family, my job and my commitments. Even when I get to bed early, I haven't been sleeping well. Either a child has woken me up or I've simply slept fitfully. This morning, I'm simply weary.

I look at the explosion of chaos in my kitchen -- the result of a weekend filled with company, a soccer tournament and a cookout -- and I feel weary knowing I'm going to have to dive into the mess sometime today. I feel weariness settle on my shoulders as I stare at the mounds of laundry that my family has managed to dirty since the last time I did laundry at the end of last week. I feel weary when I think of the extra stories I need to edit today because I took yesterday off.

Our children experience weariness, too. A bad day at school, an overscheduled life and, sometimes, dealing with parents and siblings can create weariness in our children. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our kids is to let them take a day off. I know that my oldest daughter enjoyed playing in her soccer tournament this weekend, but she is really looking forward to next Saturday when we don't have soccer or hockey. She can sleep in and just be lazy. The date is marked on her mental calendar.

The true cure for weariness, though, is not a day off -- though that can help. Jesus is the one who can lift that burden of weariness off your shoulders. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Doesn't rest sound wonderful? We're not supposed to run ourselves into the ground. Jesus offers us strength and rest. To be a successful mom, we need both, and for our kids to be successful, they need both.

That's why this week's memory verse reminds us of the source of our strength. Memorize Isaiah 40:29-31: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

On the days when you're exhausted because a kid was up all night or your family is in the midst of crisis remember these verses and seek out Jesus to be the source of your strength. Don't try to do everything out of your own strength; let Jesus give you His strength, so you can soar on wings like eagles instead of trudging along your own dusty path.
 
When your kids face things that make them want to give up, remind them of this verse. If you have someplace you can go to see an eagle, take your kids to see one. Talk about how beautiful an eagle is when it soars, yet it doesn't work hard. It allows the wind to carry it. Just like the eagle, we want to let Jesus carry us. If we rely on His strength, then we won't get tired.
 
Let these verses penetrate your heart this week, and remember when you feel weary to spread your wings and let Jesus help you soar.