rest

I read a quote this week that said “If you do not take time to rest and relax, your body will do it for you.” this quote appeared on my explore page on Instagram at the most convenient time🙃 I’m about to get personal, bare with me! I had just had an episode of feeling close to passing out this week due to not eating enough, stress, anxiety, and dehydration. this made me realize how much anxiety and stress controlled my life. it had kept me from making time to eat, rest, and even drink enough fluids…

the day after this episode I read in a devotional about the importance of rest and it included a story in the Bible that I wanted to share with y’all!

first, it is no secret that rest is so important! God rested on the 7th day of creating the world in Genesis 2, God instructed the Israelites to rest in Exodus 20, and Jesus rested on a boat in Matthew 8! the story I wanted to touch on today is Matthew 8:23-26. in these verses, we see Jesus rest amid a HUGE storm. the rain was POURING, the tides were crashing, and the boat was about to turn over, yet Jesus rested. during this huge storm. sounds crazy, right? well, this story proves the importance of the phrase, “Let go and let God.” their circumstances were out of human control so what did Jesus do? He rested and trusted God! (and calmed that storm!!)

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying,

"Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the

waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

Matthew 8:23-27

there is a huge lesson to learn from this. in the midst of what feels like our huge storm on a chaotic boat threatening to capsize, we need to let go of all the anxiety and stress of the situation and just REST! there is no need to worry over situations we cannot change, instead, we need to take rest in God and trust that He has a plan! rest is an essential aspect of growing in our relationships with Christ. it teaches us, patience, faith, and trust in the Lord!

next time your boat is about to capsize, take rest! don’t be like me and run your body and mind down until you can’t go anymore🫣