No Glory in Overexertion
Archive from May 3, 2018:
Looking back at pictures as I lay in bed sick today, I was reminded of such simple, almost obvious, but often forgotten truth: there is no glory in overexertion.
God didn’t need to rest, but He took the time to rest, didn’t He? It struck me today that the lines between productivity and overexertion has become so blurred in today’s society. Rest is implicitly viewed as laziness, and honestly, when was the last time someone told you to breathe and just be?
The other day, on this crazy busy week, even my boss had to slow me down during our work meeting. I went in to work and immediately jumped into all the tasks we needed to accomplish and was ready to lay out all the reports of the previous week’s outputs. He graciously reminded me, “hey, before we jump into the work, let’s talk about you. How are YOU doing?” I paused. I hadn’t thought of that. Sure, I take the time to do my quiet time in the morning and breathe then, but as soon as 9am kicks in, I find myself over and over again pushing for 110%, whether that’s academically, relationally, professionally, you name it.
But see, today I was so graciously reminded that we weren’t made to be self-sufficient. Being sick today was probably one of the most gracious thing that could’ve happened to me. It forced me to slow down and just be. I even picked up a book and just read. That’s right, not because I needed to, but just because I felt like it.
So, note to self: Rest isn’t reserved only between 11pm-6am. You don’t “earn” the right to rest only when you wake up 2 hours earlier than normal. Rest IS productive. Rest IS good. Rest IS needed. And rest reminds us that we are dependent, and to be dependent on the Lord’s daily provision is the absolute best place I can be ?
#DeepThoughtThursday
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