The lazy days of summer are here, as I’m writing this post from a toasty Tennessee toward the end of June. I wrote about the weather last week, but there’s one aspect of it that I failed to mention:
Heat can zap your energy.
Realizing the struggle of being motivated to do anything in hot weather also reminded me that there are times when we just don’t have it in us to get up and get out of the house. What do I do with such days?
Feel guilty.
Actually, just this week, I saw a friend in Walmart, and she asked me how I was. I told her it was my no-makeup day, as I just did laundry and cleaned my house. She brazenly admitted that she’d been in pajamas until that point in the afternoon when she made a trip to the store. She then asked, “Don’t you ever have a pajama day?” My response: “No, I feel too guilty to do that.”
That admission of guilt says something about me and my upbringing, but it also says something about my faith that I thought by this stage in my life would have gotten better. After all, it’s not about what I do but about who I trust with my life. Yet, I have time when I hold onto work or busyness because I think he’d be disappointed.
I can say I’m better than I used to be, though being a widow and living alone helps. I love my Sunday afternoon ritual of reading and taking a nap. For me, that’s doing nothing, though I’m pretty compelled to finish a complete book in that same day and write a review about it! So much for no pressure.
Thankfully, I’m not your example for how to take a day off, relax, or have a “do-nothing day,” but I can encourage you to be mindful of your own tendencies to let guilt be your guide. That’s not from the Lord, no matter how many verses on rising early and working while it is still day you quote.
God created the seasons, the rhythms in life.
He knows that we need rest, days off, and time to play and be unproductive, so we can be energized for doing the good that he’s prepared in advance for us to do. Jesus knew he had three years to accomplish a lot—train twelve men to carry on the work, proclaim the arrival of the Kingdom to the people of that region, and heal a LOT of people. Still, he didn’t rush but moved purposefully toward the final mission.
The times are in God’s hands. The fact that we are so hot, cold, tired, or sleepy that we can’t study our language lesson or visit a neighbor is not the end of the world. He knows we are working in weak and frail bodies…and minds. Sometimes they just need a break. Sometimes, we just need a nap, and that’s okay.
Don’t feel guilty. We’re all living by his…
Grace and Peace
This was very timely for me!
I’m glad to hear it. Rest and relax!