Okay, so we’ve all been their right? Like, been SO tired that you can’t mentally finish a sentence or make out what you are looking at that is right in front of you? So tired that you could cry and/or scream if someone just looks at you the wrong way?
I have been there all too many times.
The Lord has been showing me and reminding me today to give yourself GRACE when you are tired, and to understand that you are not going to be your best self when you have not had enough rest. Now, this is NOT some kind of excuse to be rude to people or to pass employees by in the grocery store like they are not actual human beings…BUT, it IS an acknowledgment that we can be oh-so-easily tempted to act and treat people in rude/unkind ways when we are not well-rested. It is also a reminder that we are ALL finite human beings and have a limited amount of strength that we are physically (and mentally) able to carry out within a given day (SUCH a reminder of why we need the the Lord to fill us with the strength of his Holy Spirit each and every day of our lives).
It is okay to be human. It is okay to be tired. This post is both an encouragement to be patient with yourself and give yourself grace when you are tired, while also encouraging you to THINK before you act in a rude or unkind way to someone else in the heat of a moment when all you really want/need to do is REST. Think before you speak, friends (and oh boy am I talking to myself right now), ESPECIALLY when you know that you are tired and thus not able to be fully engaged and present with others mentally and emotionally.
When you are tired, friends, R E S T. Rest as soon as you possibly can, and allow your body, your mind, and your spirit the sleep that it needs to fully and completely recover from the tiredness and stress it has been undergoing. Let yourself RECOVER, and be restored and refilled with the deepest most strongest power of the Holy Spirit when you lay down to sleep, my friends. While I certainly understand that we can’t all get 8-9+ hours of sleep every night and can’t always get extra sleep when we need/want to (shout out to all the moms and dads reading this post, you guys are heroes), I also firmly believe with all of my heart that God PROMISES rest to his children. We just have to ask him for it and believe that he will open windows of time for us to get that rest that we need.
(Note: For any single parent who is reading this, boy does my heart go out to you. You are amazing and I KNOW God has his hand on you and on those children you are raising. I know it has to be hard and maybe even seem impossible for you to get/find that rest that you need and so deeply long for, but I HAVE to believe that our God loves you enough to give you what you need just the same as those of us who are not in your position. I don’t know when you will get to take that nap or what nights you will get those extra hours of sleep you so desperately need, but I KNOW that God is looking out for you and that he ANSWERS his children when we courageously call upon his name. Cry out to God and ask him to give you rest, you most amazingly valuable single parents who are making this world go ‘round. May God give you strength and restore your body, mind and spirit with the rest that you need to rejuvenate your soul.)
I don’t have all the perfect answers for us, and I know life is certainly no walk in the park for anybody no matter what stage of life you are currently in. Sometimes (or, a lot of times), every day is hard. I wish I could say something to make it easier for us and to make all of our problems go away, but, unfortunately, struggles and hardships are just a part of what it means to be a broken humanity and to live in a fallen, sinful world. I do pray that the Lord would MEET us in our struggles and that he would PROVIDE us with the rest we need each and every night for our souls to be restored and drawn closer to God each and every day. My heart also goes out especially to those struggling with sleep and finding time to sleep. Know that you all are in my prayers, and I want to ENCOURAGE you to ASK God to show you what to do moving forward. ASK him to give you rest and BELIEVE that he will provide it for you. He loves you oh so dearly and he wants to meet all of your needs, according to HIS riches and HIS glory (Philippians 4:19). I hope all of you sleep well, my friends. I am going to conclude this post with a few verses the Lord has laid on my heart in the process of me writing this:
Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, (NIV).
Proverbs 3:24: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet”, (NKJV).
John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”, (NKJV).
Psalm 4:8: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety”, (NIV).
Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”, (NKJV).
Leah's blog 