Find Time to Find Rest

Feel Whole Challenge Day 20: Take Time for Some Self-care

If I’m honest with myself, my pace of life is probably just a hair too much for me to keep up with sometimes. I’m a builder by nature; a driven dreamer who loves to create and feels a sense of achievement and significance from my work.

When you add 7 kids and all that they are involved with into the mix, it’s a lot. As a result, from time to time, I can feel myself starting to get overwhelmed. I have this little mantra I tell myself in moments like this.

Find rest or rest will find you.

It’s kind of amazing when you read the Bible that God himself rested on the 7th day after literally creating everything we now see and know. I don’t think he did it because he needed to. God doesn’t need rest. He rested as an example to us because he knew that we would need it. That’s why he even told us as one of the top 10 things that would cause humankind most to flourish–take a day off! Get some rest! Take care of yourself.

So, my family and I have been trying to get better at this. Trying to lay our achieving aside and just be human beings for a little bit. This can feel a little hectic and sometimes the questions fill up our brains before we can even get started.

• What if everything that needs to get done doesn’t?
• What about the laundry and dishes and dinner and baths and brushing of the kids’ teeth?
• How are the kids gonna do while we’re out?
• Can we actually afford this?

Self-care doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. It doesn’t even have to take a long time. It could just be a few hours in the evening or during your lunch break. Getting a pedicure or a facial. Seeing a movie. Going for a hike or a boxing class at the gym. Playing a round of golf or getting a massage. It might be a hot bubble bath after the kids go down at night. Or even just going out for dinner with a friend or your spouse and putting your phones away for a few hours.

For me, camping somewhere beautiful and remote is one of the most recharging experiences I could have. It’s inexpensive and helps me to connect with my own soul and with God. If it’s summer in Texas or I don’t have 2 days to get away, just taking 2 hours to see a new movie has a remarkable impact on me!

Whatever it is, you have to begin to see your own self-care not just as a luxury, but as a priority for your health and wellness. Remember, find rest or it will find you!

Writer: Stephen Miller Stephen is a pastor, musician, author and speaker. When he’s not working on his music, he’s at home with his wife, Amanda, and their seven children. Stephen strives to spread the word of God every day. He travels the world to teach and lead worship while sharing his stories and life lessons.