Do You Even Rest

Do You Even Rest - By Erika Gabrielle Mendoza

Journey with me as I reflect on the importance of rest. When was the last time you were so, SO busy? In my experience, I felt busiest when I took over 21 or more college credits per semester, worked 3 part-time jobs, volunteered, attended career conferences, did ministry, attended life group, stayed fit, studied, all while making sure I still had some hours left over for sleep. It was one of those times when my body felt exhausted, but my heart was on fire for the passion of doing all these things – and doing them well.

Let’s pause on the busyness of our lives for just 2 minutes or until you finish reading this blog all the way through! Just breathe [and read]. Life can be so overwhelming sometimes. Some things may even be distractions. You can be distracted by things that may seem important, but nothing will ever be more important than loving God and loving His people (Matthew 22:36-39). Yes, studying is crucial for you to literally be and feel prepared for class, just as following an SOP is crucial in retrieving authentic results in casework. However, how do you know when something becomes more of a distraction? And how do you let that distraction go?

A distraction is what steals away your attention from Who or what is important. Distractions may consume your time for a few minutes or build habits that may last for months. “Busyness” was, and still is, my biggest distraction. I wasn’t even aware that it was taking precious time away from me and my Father. A couple years ago on a Tuesday, my lifegroup and I were talking about this topic. One of them asked, “So when do you find time to just talk to God?” I tried to justify that being there at lifegroup, reading the Bible, and praying was me “talking to God.” Yes, those are all ways of being in His presence; however, I did them as if they were tasks. God does not want just a portion of your life, He wants your whole life. And, God doesn’t love you based on how you perform, He does and will continue to love you unconditionally. So take all of your life to honor Him – I speak this for myself every day too. I, personally, need a continuous reminder that I am not just doing life for Him, but I am doing it with Him.

Now, I have “Father-daughter time” with God. I need it. While I prefer He be the first person I talk to in the morning, there are some days when I must take a break and leave the lab to go for a quick walk and just talk to Him. There is so much #peace when you take rest in Him. You’ll even be more productive and may make even bigger progress in the work you are trying to finish!

When I find myself distracted in the valley, at very low points, I kind of find comfort in these Bible verses in the book of James: “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.” I also ask myself, “What will it take for you to exchange these distractions for some rest with the Lord who even gave you this life?”

When you continue on your busy day, please, remember to rest. Do something different that may get you in the mindset of letting go of your own personal distractions. Go to yard sales, you will see people letting go of all sorts of things in exchange of gaining something, that is, in turn, more beneficial. If you didn’t know and actually want to go to a yard sale, Good Shepherd Baptist Church has a Spring and Fall Yard Sale every year on the first Saturday in June and the last Saturday in September from 8 am to 1 pm!