Intentional Gratitude for the Blessing of Rest
Last week my friend, Amanda, sent me a wonderful devotion from Our Daily Bread on the importance of rest. I have to admit as I focused my attention on health this month rest was not on my list of topics. Aren’t we like that? When it comes to our physical health we concentrate on diet and exercise . . . rest is what we allow ourselves only after everything else is accomplished.
Lack of sleep makes us tired and cranky, and it’s hard to live with gratitude when we’re on the edge of exhaustion.
There have numerous studies on the importance of sleep. Here are a few things to know:
Harvard Health Publications – chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power.
Helpguide.org - The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort!
WebMD – It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook.
Our Daily Bread, The Gift of Sleep says it this way, “What God accomplishes in our bodies while we drift off to dreamland is nothing short of miraculous. While we do nothing, God replenishes our energy, rebuilds and restores our cells, and reorganizes information in our brains.”
Sleep is an amazing blessing.
If you’re like me, you’ve experienced times when you believed what you had to do was more important than taking time to rest. But it may be that procrastination and poor time management is what’s leaving us with deadlines and unfinished to do lists. I wonder how often I would be able to get enough sleep if I was a better steward of my time.
Check out – Life of a Steward – Christian Time Management by Loren Pinilis. Loren is a frequent commenter here at CMB, and his blog offers great advice for those of us who are time use challenged.
So, for the next few days we are going to look at the blessing of rest. I have to admit I prefer rest to exercise. Now the goal is to be intentionally grateful for both.
Learn to relax. Your body is precious, as it houses your mind and spirit. Inner peace begins with a relaxed body. ~Norman Vincent Peale
God gives rest to His loved ones. Psalm 127:2
You’re so right, Deb. God created us. If he wants us to sleep 7-8 hours a day, who are we to say no? Just as important as the amount of sleep is the timing. Erratic sleep schedules wreak havoc with our health. Totally agree about Loren’s blog, too.
Melanie Wilson recently posted..Cancel Your Good Girl Contract
The research is convincing…plus my mood when I’m sleep deprived are enough to inspire me to try to get to bed at a more reasonable hour each night.
I know that I should get more sleep, I’m just not sure how to let things go. I continually pray for good and healthy balance in my life. I know how important rest is to the body, mind and spirit.
Barbie recently posted..Return To Me And Rest
Thanks for the shout-out!
We look down on rest – we often think of it as something that takes us away from life. But God created us to need to rest. It’s a way that we can bring him glory, and it reminds us that we are created and he is the creator.
Loren Pinilis recently posted..Why God is OK with You Finding What Works for You
Your very welcome. I am always thankful for your great time management counsel. I love your thought that “rest is a way we can bring glory to God and be reminded that we are created and He is the creator.” Great point.
Deb recently posted..How Intentional Gratitude Improves Overall Health