Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. Exodus 34:21 (NIV)
Last night, I came home from work tired and grumpy. Since my usual state of being seems to be tired and grumpy, I should clarify, more tired and grumpy than normal. The night before I went to sleep at 10:00 and woke up two hours later refreshed and ready to go as though I had an afternoon nap instead of expecting an eight hours sleep. No matter how I tossed and turned, it was a long time before sleep came again. I wasn’t worrying, I wasn’t stressing, I wasn’t even planning. I just wasn’t sleepy. But, by the end of the day, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was lie down on the bed and close my eyes instead of reading the book my boss gave to me stating cheerily, it was “required reading.” That it is called The Happiness Advantage did not make it more appealing to me. In fact, I considered leaving it where the puppy could chew it up. I did actually lie down on the bed, but then, I got to thinking that there would be no happiness if husband came home from work and had no dinner so I got up and fried chicken and made rice and gravy because I knew it would make youngest son happy. That is his favorite meal. He is currently counting the days until his fiancée comes home from college so why not give him something else to celebrate? After I started dinner, I remembered that I had put a load of laundry in the washer at 6:15 that morning and it would be stinking if I didn’t get it into the dryer. Then, I had to fold the laundry in the dryer and put it away. I get up 45 minutes early every morning just to start a load of wash and clean up the kitchen from youngest son’s midnight grazing. And that morning, not only had I put a load of wash in, but I ran the dishwasher which meant the dishwasher also needed to be emptied. Then, the dogs wanted to be fed. By that time, dinner was ready and we sat down to eat. After which, there were pots and pans to wash. Finally, at 8:30, I got my shower and announced I was going to bed. I do not remember anything after that until the alarm clock went off at 6:15 this morning and I woke up feeling happier than I have in a long time. Who needs pop psychology telling me that if I think happy thoughts I will be happy? All I need is a good night’s rest! Perhaps, I will take Ben Franklin’s advice. Did he really say, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, weathy and wise?” I need to google it. I do know that God who created me knows my body needs rest and commands me to take it. Even if it means that the laundry has to wait another day to be folded.
Rest is a great restorative and healer – and I'm sure God created it that way. After my mom went in the hospital after 5 weeks of being bedridden, I told my dad to go home and sleep. He didn't do it the first day and was depressed and angry all day. The second day he did and it made all the difference in the world.
Getting to bed at a reasonable time is hard to do when there are so many other things pulling at you but it's amazing how much better you feel if you do!