If Jesus Needed Rest, You Do Too

Intro

Good morning Real Life, my name is Curtis (or Jeff to some of you) and I’m the Connections Director here.

We are going to be continuing our Timeless series where we’ve been looking at some spiritual disciplines that can help us grow our faith. These aren’t new and in fact have been around for many many years. But today we have forgotten, or just don’t practice, them anymore. So what we hope to do is to give you some tools that will help you grow in your relationship with God.

And if you recall back to the first week we talked about how this process of growing with God is not something that happens instantly. Growth takes time and there’s purpose in the process. It’s through this growing process that we get to experience and learn about God.

If you missed one of the past 2 weeks I would encourage you to go to our website or download our podcast so that you can catch up.

So these disciplines we’ve been trying aren’t supposed to instantly make us more like God. Rather they start us on this process.

One of the reasons I think that these practices are so valuable. And why you should put them into your life is because not only does the Bible talk about them. But Jesus actually DID them! If you look at Jesus’ life you will see him teach them and live them out. Jesus modeled these practices in his own life. And I just think that if Jesus needed them… And you know he was like God and stuff… We mere humans could probably stand to benefit from them as well.

And today we are going to be looking at a timeless practice that I think might be one of the most needed in our culture. One that can help us more than an other. It’s a practice we all know about, but most of us fail to actually do. And that is rest…

And I’ll be honest I don’t really want to talk about this. Not because I think it’s bad or boring or anything. But because I fail to actually live this out in my life, regularly. When I first starting thinking about writing this sermon a month or so back my first thought was I don’t have time for this! I don’t time to rest, never mind write a message on rest. I’m not good at taking a break. But it’s the thing I desperately need.

I’m guessing you can relate too… We are a culture that doesn’t like to slow down.

Tension

When we first started talking about this week I thought maybe we should just cancel this service, we’d turn the lights down low, and we had out sleeping bags instead of chairs. And we’d all just take a nap. Anybody feel like that need a nap and some peace and quiet? Yeah me to…

Keep your hands down for these… But does anyone just feel like they’re always behind? Anybody struggle to sleep even though you are exhausted? Anyone feel like your juggling a thousand things and you are just one mistake away from it all crashing down? Anybody feel like you are letting others down? Anyone have anxiety? How about this… Anyone ever get angry and blow up at someone for seemingly no reason?

Those are all signs of burn out… And my guess is everyone in here has experienced these, or is experiencing these.

Before I came out here I worked in student ministry for 3-4 years. I’ve shared a little about that experience in the past. It was a really difficult time in my life. And I wasn’t in a good spot… I was on a dangerous path. And it was largely my fault because I refused to take a good rest. I refused to stop. I was tired. I was spent… By the end of my time there I didn’t have much left in the tank.

When everything felt like it was falling apart I’d work harder to hold it together. I starting going into work earlier, staying later. Months would go by where I wouldn’t take a day off. There were weeks where I’d work every night. And listen that’s not because I’m such a good worker. Those were some of the most unproductive days. Ironically the more I worked the further behind I got. I have very little show for the effort I put in.

When I did get home I couldn’t give my wife the time and focus that she deserved. I didn’t have anything left. And I couldn’t turn my brain off. So I’d pour a drink, I’d grab a beer, to help relax. One beer became two, two became three. And pretty soon I couldn’t drink enough to take the edge off. I wasn’t in a good spot. I was quick to anger, I never felt rested, I didn’t take care of myself, and I wasn’t doing my job well.