I Can't Relax!

Confession…….relaxing is hard for me.  That’s why the message at church today was just for me.  My pastor talked about the necessity and benefits of relaxing.  He pointed out that even God rested from creating the heavens and earth. 

Genesis 2:1-3 (TLB)

Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully completed, with all that they contained. So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing, and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.

I've come to realize that I can be a workaholic.  Gosh, I can’t even believe I’m saying that out loud. 

It’s amazing how much we can deny certain truths about ourselves.  Between being a wife, mommy, career woman, blogger, involved community member, church volunteer and runner, there’s not room for much more.  My days normally begin at 6:00 am and end around 1:00 am.  If you do the math, that’s only about 5 hours of sleep each day.  I figure, I can catch up on sleep whenever God transitions me to Heaven.   I realize now, that’s not the best mindset to have.  Over the years I've slowly learned and tried to let go.  After turning 40, it became very evident that I can’t be all things to all people.  I have to remember that saying “no” isn't a bad thing and I shouldn't feel guilty for saying it.

Even though I know all of that, it’s still a struggle.  There are times when I feel guilt-ridden if I’m just sitting around doing nothing.  The other day I caught myself even trying to instill my hurried lifestyle on my daughter.  She was relaxing in her room and I wanted to know why.  Then I tried to figure out why she wasn't doing something.  I have to make a conscious effort to model better behaviors.  I need my kids to know that every minute of every day doesn't have to be scripted and scheduled.

My pastor pointed out that even Moses struggled in this area.  Moses found himself leading over a million people (the Israelites) in the wilderness.  He was their leader and that position lead to struggles and times of unrest.  He lacked structure, systems, and processes. Exodus 18:13-23 shares the story:

The next day Moses sat as usual to hear the people’s complaints against each other, from morning to evening.  When Moses’ father-in-law saw how much time this was taking, he said, “Why are you trying to do all this alone, with people standing here all day long to get your help?” (verses 13-14)

His father in law, Jethro, realized that Moses couldn't continue on the path he was going. 

“You’re going to wear yourself out—and if you do, what will happen to the people? Moses, this job is too heavy a burden for you to try to handle all by yourself. (verse 18)

If you continue to read the Bible story, you will find that Jethro recommends that Moses delegates responsibility to lighten his load.

Relaxation mode at the beach!

I’m still a work in progress but made a big step in the right direction on Saturday when I went to bed at 8:30 pm!  Like my pastor said, when you find time to rest and relax, you will find time to connect with God and enjoy His beauty. (Posted by Renee)