Shameful Shut-eye

Confession: I have not been taking great care of myself lately. I have not been getting enough rest. I know that I need solid hours of sleep every night, but that's one of those lessons that I have learned the hard way - repeatedly.

Rest is biblical and has been part of God's plan from the very beginning. We first learn about God's prioritzation of rest in the FIRST book of the Bible - clearly, it is important to Him. Genesis 2:2 says: "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." We hear more about rest throughout Bible - Jesus went away to rest, and He encouraged others to do the same.

In the rush of the Christmas season, I hope that we will not neglect our sleep or our overall health. It's important to find time to sleep, exercise and try to enjoy treats in moderation in this "season of excess," as my dad called it. When we are well rested and taking good care of ourselves, not only do we feel better physically (more energized, less lethargic), but we are also at our best to love others, perform our jobs and be alert.

Now, literally for me, it is time to sleep. Actually, it is almost past my bedtime! I'm going to challenge myself to not neglect my health this holiday season or use the holidays as an excuse to not treat myself well. I welcome you to join me in taking that challenge.

Sleep well!

Comments

Jonah and the Worm

My sister gave me a book for Christmas that I finally picked up to read last week. The book – Jonah and the Worm by Jill Briscoe – is a children’s book with deep meanings, and I am so glad that I finally began to read it. It’s kind of like Shrek or other animated movies that are cleverly written to be enjoyed by both children and their parents. The book tells the story of Jonah from the Bible focusing on the perspective of the worm in the story. Details are embellished, but the timing and schedule of events is the same as the Biblical account. This short little book contains really profound truths that have jumped off the page at me. For example, the worm receives a message from God that he should travel to Ninevah, though God doesn’t give him an explanation as to why. Travelling to Ninevah means leaving behind his family and familiarity, but he decides to obey and go where the Lord is sending him – even though he doesn’t know what purpose God has for him there. On his way to Ninevah...

Olivia Kate Update

We expected a routine appointment. Last April, the cardiology team told us that we did not have to return for another check-up on the hole in Olivia's heart for a full year. This was music to a mom's and dad's ears! Since her pediatrician had noticed the severe murmur in her heartbeat when she was just four days old, we'd visited the cardiologist office several times to monitor any changes in heart function. So far, it seemed that this hole was not causing any problems, and the doctors said that it might even close on its own. The ultrasounds of Olivia's heart today revealed a different story, unfortunately. The left side of her heart has enlarged slightly over the last year, which tells us that this precious organ is under a bit of stress due to the turbulence of the extra blood flowing in and out of the hole. The first cardiologist who reviewed the ultrasounds with us today told us what we really did not want to hear: Olivia is heading down the path that req...

Fully Present

I passed our infant carseat on to someone else last week. I did the same thing with my maternity clothes. If those seems like drastic steps for someone who up until fairly recently said she wanted to be pregnant, it's because they are. They seemed that way to me too. Even though I was confident I was supposed to pass these items to these particular expectant moms, I still felt a lump in my throat as I drove away without the carseat. If you've followed along with our journey at all, you know that as much as John adores Olivia, he never felt a strong pull to have a second child. I always wanted another and assumed that we would. It wasn't even a question in my mind. We continued to disagree on this (rather substantial) decision for quite a while, so we decided that we'd spend the year 2016 praying intentionally and specifically about this issue, asking God to bring unity. I realize how funny this it is now. God is not a Magic 8 ball who provides answers at...

Reflections and Responses

Search This Blog