2:74 – Taking Time For Yourself

#faithbites #faithjourney time

Tonight I did something I haven’t done in a very very long time. I had dinner with a friend. No kids, no spouses, just the two of us. Then I came home, did laundry, watched TV, and am getting ready for bed. My wife and kids are visiting gher grandparents so I can have a writing weekend on the #RoadToEdD . I am so blessed by my wife for givinge this space.

Part of me feels guilty for not writing tonight, but the other part feels good. I thought about my dissertation, wrote my professors about it, and am ready for the morning, but didn’t write. At the same time I feel guilty for wanting to enjoy myself after the events in ChristChurch, NZ.

After weeks of surgery, having a cold, and taking care of everyone, I think my body needed some me time. One of the things my friend and I discussed was we need to do this more often. We need to spend time as adults, lovers, friends and not just as parents with jobs and duties. We have to remember who we are as individuals. This powers and refreshes us for the challenges ahead.

Scripture

• For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ – Jeremiah 30:17
• And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10

Reflection

Our Lord grants restoration. We gives us strength and respite when we need it. As we see in 1 Peter, he knows we have suffered and will restore us. It doesn’t say that we won’t suffer again, but rather that we need these times to feel his love, his power, and recharge our minds, bodies, and soul.

I know I needed this rest. I honestly know how much writing I will get done tomorrow. My goal isn’t to set a firm quantity for word count or even section count but to make progress. Putting additional stress on myself will not only make me frustrated but will also do away with the rest that I am being granted. There is enough stress, frustration, and evil in the world that we don’t need to add to it. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when we pile on the doubt, the anxiety, and the worry instead of taking the suffering the world already gives us, and going to the Lord for restoration.

Charge

Do you pile stress on yourself when it’s not needed? When was the last time you took a little me time? If you answered yes to the first and I can’t remember to the second question, then maybe it is time for rest. Do whatever makes you happy: watch TV, have dinner with a friend, bake, clean, match socks, read. Then thank the Lord for the time and ask for restoration. You will be glad you did.

Prayer

Lord in Heaven, thank you for the time you have given me to rest. Help all us us remember that we have many roles and need to express and rest each one. Having physical, mental, and spiritual rest is what we need. Give us the time for that rest and help us to seek you for the spiritual restoration that you freely five. In your name, Amen.