Why You’re Not Getting The Rest You Need

Have you ever wondered why you don’t feel rested after a night of sleep or why you can’t keep going unless you are continually dumping coffee down your throat? We all need regular, planned and uninterrupted rest.

Unfortunately quality rest that refreshes body, mind and spirit is difficult to find in today’s world.

Last week I wrote about a few signs that may indicate that you need to take a break.  Today I want to list the barriers we face that keep us from taking the sabbath rest that we need.

This is how I feel when I don’t get my rest!

Why is it so hard to get your rest? Below are a few reasons our team came up with:

• Guilt (I’m being lazy)
• Technology (always connected)
• Sundays are work days for those in ministry
• Too many responsibilities
• No accountability
• Expectations of our society
• Pride (I don’t need it)
• Worry over things that need to be done
• People who ask us to do things

Sometimes we also take part in what I like to call “false rest”.  This happens when we try to multitask our rest by just responding to a few “quick” emails on our day off. It can also happen when we spend too much time “resting” in front of the TV or browsing the internet.  These activities can often leave us more drained than when we started.

A few observations from the Lord of the Sabbath

Despite that Jesus was a very busy and highly sought after person he always found time for rest.

• Jesus often got away by himself Mark 14:13
• Sometimes Jesus withdrew for longer periods of time Matthew 4:2
• On occasion Jesus took a few of his closest friends with him Mark 6:31
• Jesus never apologized for resting
• Jesus was always ready to minister because he had rested Mark 6:34

Additional reading: You might consider checking out Jesus and Rest: The Master’s Way of Refocusing a great post by Loren Pinilis.

Question: What is keeping you from getting the rest you need?