Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 08, Issue 16: Rest, A Necessity

My feelings of mental fatigue these last couple of months have drawn my focus to study more on rest and take deliberate and intentional steps towards pursuing rest. I want to share with you some of the nuggets I am gleaning from my studies. Today I am sharing from the work of EMS Hancock on "Finding relaxation in a non-stop world."

Rest is not an expensive perfume that we can forgo without consequences, it's a built-in requirement. Rest is, and always has been, a necessity that we must make space for in our lives.

Rest is good for us. It connects us back to our Father, God; it reminds us of joy; it helps us to be more creative; it taps us back into heaven's perspective; and it allows us to feel wonderfully free. EMS Hancock, "Finding relaxation in a non-stop world".

I don't know about you, but I am happier, kinder, more alive and efficient when I am rested. I operate on a short fuse when my energy levels are low. In fact this is so real for me that when I know I am getting there, I ask my kids to not bother me with questions, and do to everything I ask them to do.

I, for one, know myself too well to know that I should stop all work, professional or domestic before nightfall since my day starts quite early. But I often land in trouble by stretching myself beyond this boundary, hence taking rest for granted and dealing with the consequences thereafter.

Our rest is precious. It needs to be taken seriously and built into our days and weeks. I have realized that waiting for the weekend to rest is not enough for me. I need to build rest times into my work days as well to be well rested.

Rest should have an element of fun and creativity. I was telling my friends over lunch the other day that for me rest is not just about jumping into bed to sleep. That's a big part of it at the end of my day, but I first want to sit down and do something fun, like watch or listen to something I enjoy. For my friend, all she needs is jump into bed. What about you, how does rest look like to you?

Rest is the secret of facing life in every circumstance feeling strengthened and empowered, with inner strength and self confidence. EMS Hancock, "Finding relaxation in a non-stop world". We need this.

Our personal worlds today are so fast-paced that we can feel as though we are constantly battling fatigue. Not perhaps from physical labor, but from the mental gymnastics we endure to try to stay ahead of the game. Sometimes my body may look still, but my mind is far from it. The inner workings of my brain are pacing and racing as the 'to do' list in my consciousness urgently scribbles a few late entries. EMS Hancock, "Finding relaxation in a non-stop world".

My pursuit of deliberate rest is work in progress, and sometimes my good intentions are overridden by the demands that seem to outweigh the time I have assigned for work. If that describes you too, don't give up. We are on the right track, we will succeed.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi