In the last episode, we talked about the Biblical idea and encouragement behind Biblical REST. God wants us to rest and in fact, we need to rest in Him. Resting in Him will produce more rest in our life overall. What how do we go about cultivating true rest in our busy too full lives? That’s what we are diving into today!

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Build better routines for your life.

This might not happen overnight, in fact, it might be a long road to setting better habits in your life. We are so use to living at break neck speeds in our society, it can be SO hard to reframe our concepts of what a productive life looks like. Today we are going to chat about a few things: Getting more sleep, getting OFF social media, being intentional with your rest time, and MAKING the time for rest.

Get MORE sleep.

“One study highlighted that we are sleeping between one and two hours fewer per night than people did sixty years ago, and two and a half hours fewer than a hundred years ago. However, ultimately the practice of getting a good night’s sleep is rooted in the outworking of our theology. We believe God has made sleep an integral part of our humanity (Ps. 127:2), but as with all good gifts from God, we have a sinful tendency to refuse or misuse it. While some may struggle with wanting too much sleep, many of us struggle with wanting to make do with too little. In our productivity-mad society, we idolize activity and minimize the need for sleep. We can even pride ourselves in how little sleep we seem to need. Stories of famous Christians throughout history who reported getting by on very little sleep fuel the idea that less sleep is more godly and an example of great faith. What is often forgotten is that many of these Christians also suffered terribly ill health, and others dies young. That’s why I want to make the case that adequate sleep is a far better example of great faith.” – Refreshed, page 52.

I have struggled deeply with this concept. I feel like I need to constantly worry about the next step and pushing myself harder. As Ive grown in my journey, I’ve learned that often, I need to just go to sleep and be wise with my time. God will meet our needs.

“I believe God will look after my family, my work, or my studies. I refuse to believe the lie that everything depends on me. I believe in God’s sovereignty and trust that he does not need me to overwork and under sleep to get all of the work done (Ps. 127:1-2).

I believe God created my humanity, and I need to follow his guide for maintaining it. I refuse to believe the lie that I’m unique. I’m no stronger than others and therefor equally in need of his gift of sleep (Ps 3:5, 4:8).

I believe my body and soul are so closely bound together that each impacts the other. I refuse to believe the lie that if I neglect my body, my soul and mind will still flourish.

I believe my sleep is one of the best illustrations of my rest in Christ. I refuse to believe the lie that I must be known for my sacrificial service to Christ rather than by my resting on him.

I believe in God alone and refuse to worship idols. I refuse to idolize work success and belittle sleep. I refuse to idolize late night entertainment and neglect sleep. I refuse to idolize service at the expense of sleep. I refuse to make impressing my boss more important than sleep. I refuse to idolize a perfect home at the cost of damaging the temple of my body. Our sleep patters reveal our idols.” – Refreshed, pages 53-54.

How do we get more sleep?

1. Discipline “We need God’s help to translate this conviction into action. Ask him for the willpower to make the necessary schedule adjustments and lifestyles changes.”
2. Routine “Build routine and regularity into your sleeping and waking times.”
3. Exercise – I run my kids around in the afternoon to make sure they are good and tired for bedtime…why wouldn’t this work for me too?
4. Help things – Magnesium, multi mineral, sleep oils, etc. Check your hormones and cortisol levels.

Get OFF Media.

“Digital technology is killing us. It’s killing our souls and our bodies. It’s killing our marriages, families, and friendships. It’s killing our listening skills and speaking abilities. It’s killing face-to-face communication and interfamily relationships. It’s killing our minds, especially our ability to focus and concentrate. It’s killing communion with God as it usurps communication with him first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It’s killing our peace with its never-ending blizzard of notifications, beeps, and buzzes. It’s killing our mealtimes through constant interruptions and distractions. It’s killing God’s voice throughout the day as we fill every traffic and bathroom stop with social media check ins.” – Refreshed, page 85.

Limit technology:

1. Mute notifications
2. Set specific times to do something fun like hop on instagram
3. Meet with God FIRST in the morning before your phone “When I start my day with email, social media, or the news, my subsequent Biel reading and prayers are a distracted mess. I prefer to get a cup of tea, enjoy the silence, and meet with God first.”

Be intentional with your rest time:

A big part of resting well, is using that time well. If you are a mom of young kids, then a restful afternoon might very well be your husband taking the kids to the park so you can literally nap.

For me in this season, a restful afternoon might include cuddling up with the kids on the couch reading our favorite book. Or the kids working on a craft while I read a good book. It might be sitting out in the sun at the park while the kids play. It might be playing a board game together.

Rest often doesn’t look like just sitting in a chair and staring at the wall. But “rest” for many of us usually means zoning out on our phones for an hour or aimlessly watching television. This often leads to the question of “Where did the time go?”

Jason and I have very full schedules. We have 6 kids whom we homeschool, we are traveling full time right now, and we run our business online together. It makes for a sometimes chaotic and always very full schedule. But we thrive through this season in large part by being very strategic with our rest time.

We use our rest time well. And I’ve learned to recognize the signs that I’m wasting my time…not actually being restful.

One hour a day, one day a week, one week a year

“One of the most common deficits in the lives of people I’ve counseled with depression is the absense of a regular weekly sabbath. By “sabbath”, I mean a joyful day of rest and refreshment centered on the worship of God, the fellowship of his people in the local church, and the renewing of family relationships. I firmly believe that one of the greatest causes of stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression in our modern culture is a failure to receive the sabbath pattern (six days of work, one day of rest) as the gift of a wise and compassionate God. As Jesus himself said, “The Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27) – and that includes women.” – Refreshed, page 93.

In the next part of our 25 foundational episodes here, we are going to dive into building God honoring and joy producing habits and routines into our lives!

Links & Resources:

• Book recommendation: Refreshed by Shona Murray (The men’s version is called Reset)
• Book recommendation: The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
• Book recommendation: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke
• You can listen to my interview with Shona Murray here
• Our sponsor: Get 20% off plus free 2-day shipping with Gemmist.com coupon code: HOME

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