Have you been that older sibling who had to follow orders when mom or dad said, “Go put your brother(or sister) to bed.” You had to help them put on their pajamas, brush their teeth, and read them a story until they feel asleep. Or perhaps you were like me, the younger sibling, who got the help going to bed.
I remember my sisters helping me get to sleep and, let me tell you, I was never an easy case getting there. First there was the “I need water,” excuse, and then the “I’m hungry,” try, along with the “But it’s not that late,” plea. Then there was the legitimate fear of the dark, where I’d make one of my sisters hold my hand until I fell asleep. Yeah, looking back on it, I was a real pain to put to bed.
But, you know what? Now, during the summer, it’s our turn to put ourselves to bed.
Not only should we be grateful during these summer months (check out my last post for that one), but:
We need to get Rest!
This goes for anyone and everyone-teachers, students, principals, parents, secretaries, coaches, janitors, lunch ladies, directors, assistants, the random neighbor across the street, and so many more that I forgot to mention. WE ALL NEED REST! Did I say that loud enough?
Many times we revert to our childhood ways and make excuses. “I can’t today, because I need to prepare for ________.” “Well, I can rest next week because my schedule will be more open.” “I would love to, but I just have so much going on right now.” How many of you have said these statements before? Trust me, I certainly have.
I’ve made the excuses and sometimes I’ve even felt ashamed for resting. I bet you probably have to. We believe our schedules have to be packed, our laptops have to be open, and our phones have to be glued to our hands. It’s as if we take pride in being busy, and having no time to ourselves or for others.
When that happens to me I have to remember that even God rested! Don’t believe me? Well it’s completely true! After making the heavens and the earth, God rested on the seventh day. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. “-Genesis 2:2
Now this isn’t because God needed it, but because He was setting the example for us to follow. He knew that we would be busy with our schedules, social media accounts, and accessorized electronics. He knew that we’d all be on the go with little to no breaks in between, but now that summer is finally here and classes are out of session,we need to follow God’s example: we need to set aside the lame excuses and we need to prioritize rest.
Now, how do we do that? Let me be clear: I am not advocating that you use this time to lay in bed all day-although we would probably all agree that would be nice. I realize that, even though the pace slows down a bit during the summer, some of us have part time jobs or perhaps children who are now staying at home 24/7 that we need to monitor and make sure they don’t destroy themselves (or anything else for that matter).
So what does rest look like? Yes, it is sleep, but it’s so much more than that!
Rest is a time when we can set aside the hustle and bustle of life to simply let ourselves enjoy the quiet moments God gives us.
Rest has many different forms such as reading a good book, to listening to our favorite music, or simply going out with a friend and just getting away. Maybe for you rest could mean spending time out in nature, watching a sports game, or cooking a favorite meal. For some it requires being alone with a nice candle and dim lights and for others it includes a large group with tons of laughter and excitement.
Rest looks different in all of our eyes. So what does rest look like to you? What things do you enjoy doing to relax and refocus? Make sure that during your summer adventures and journey that you take some time to “put yourself to bed” and get some rest. Don’t avoid it or pass by it. Don’t feel bad about it. Simply enjoy it and let it become part of what makes your summer so memorable.
Teaching Creativity 