The fifth pattern is Pull Off at Rest Stops. Chapter 15 is Make Wise Withdrawals. The author references Mark 6:31 to emphasize the command to rest that God gave us. As he goes through the chapter, he reinforces the command and how it is given over and over and over in the Bible starting with the seventh day in creation (being the Sabbath) and going on through to the end.

We notice when our kids are tired as they lose grip on their emotions. It is the same for us; we cannot manage our emotions, reactions, and attitudes when tired. We do not always realize this (and we do not have parents yelling at us to go to bed). But we cannot always be available or always be busy or always working or both getting up early and staying up late. God did not design us to just keep going.

The author highlights the need for mental, physical, and spiritual rest. Sleep is not enough. We need time for recharging, restocking, healing hearts, thinking, meditating, studying, praying, withdrawing, walking, sleeping, time with kids, jogging, hiking, swinging, etc. Just reading the list of rest seems exhausting.

Are you always tired?  Then something is wrong. Perpetual fatigue is not God’s plan. We do need to be busy doing the right things, but not just busy, and not all the time. I have had periods when I just could not catch up with my sleep and I am happiest when I do get enough.

One concept the author brought out is “Rest is not for the sick, but for the strong.” There is a thought that if we rest, we are falling behind or not accomplishing what we need to. That is from the devil. The world tells us to keep going and going and going. But that creates stress, and we need interruptions from stress. Short breaks, long breaks, moments, hours, days, sleep. Something. If you want to be strong, you need to rest.

One of the ideas floated about was that as Christians “We do not work to rest; we rest to work.” Some people work really hard so they can take big vacations and go a million miles an hour enjoying everything on vacation. This phrase indicates we are to take relaxing breaks so we can work hard when we come back.

I have actually had many days the last few weeks when I have been going at it all day long and with no breaks. After a relaxing year, it has been a big change. Generally, I relax through lunch, but on days I do not eat lunch, the stress levels just keep rising all day. Today I took time off at lunch time even though I did not eat. I feel infinity better than last Wednesday when this was not true. I still struggle taking breaks outside lunch, but I am still young enough to learn.

This year has been very different than most people could have imagined and its unlikely that anyone had plans that made it unchanged through the year. The same is not true of God. He knew what was coming, He could plan for it, and He knows what is coming. 2021 will probably be as difficult as 2020, only we will all have 2020 experience to help us deal with 2021. The world will continue to change at an unprecedented rate and we will be stressed trying to adjust. The thing we need to learn is to make sure we are rested and capable of handling whatever challenges are coming.  

Happy New Year.