Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30
Physical exhaustion is God’s way of telling us to slow down. God expects us to work hard, of course, but He also intends for us to rest. When we fail to take the rest that we need, we do a disservice to ourselves and to our families.
We live in a world that tempts us to stay up late—very late. But too much late-night TV, combined with too little sleep, is a prescription for exhaustion.
Jesus promises us that when we come to Him, He will give us rest—but we, too, must do our part. We must take the necessary steps to insure that we have sufficient rest and that we take care of our bodies in other ways, too.
As adults, each of us bears a personal responsibility for the general state of our own physical health. Certainly, various aspects of health are beyond our control: illness sometimes strikes even the healthiest men and women. But for most of us, physical health is a choice: it is the result of hundreds of small decisions that we make every day of our lives. If we make decisions that promote good health, our bodies respond. But if we fall into bad habits and undisciplined lifestyles, we suffer tragic consequences.
Are your physical or spiritual batteries running low? Is your energy on the wane? Are your emotions frayed? If so, it’s time to turn your thoughts and your prayers to God’s Son. And when you’re finished, it’s probably time to turn off the lights and go to bed!
– Steve Arterburn
Taking care of yourself physically really helps emotionally. People who get a lot of sleep, and who do the things that relieve stress, can withstand more stress. – Laura Bush
Satan does some of his worst work on exhausted Christians when nerves are frayed and their minds are faint. – Vance Havner
