The new year always gives us the sense of starting over; letting go of the old and getting excited about the new. The future is exciting and we welcome the opportunity to start over in some ways.
I’ve never liked the whole ‘resolution’ concept. Regardless of what it started out as, I’m convinced it’s the fitness industry’s way of boosting sales in January. A friend of mine said he had the idea of opening a gym on January 1 and switch it to a bar after three weeks. That’s a great idea!
Still, it’s a good time for us to talk about goals for the new year. It’s a good time to look back at the past year and see what we have accomplished… or where we fell short. I hope you set goals, or made resolutions last year. I hope you achieved some or all of those goals.
I have been using the “one word” strategy for the last several years…. trying to apply one word to my life, rather than make a “resolution.” To be honest, I had to go back and look at my goals from last year. It seems so long ago and I couldn’t even remember what I had wanted to accomplish.
I started with some bold goals about running crazy distances and a promise to let go of my plans and let God run things. I failed, miserably, at both of those. Don’t get me wrong. There were some really good times this year and I know my life is amazing, but for me, there were a series of events that tore me down and I’m sharing with you because I know some of you feel the same way and I want you to know that you are not alone.
I started with a 10 mile race on January 1st. I completed three 50k races in February, 
March, and April. So far so good. At the same time I was finding my teaching to be overwhelming. Even coaching was becoming a chore. My head coach had made it clear that she didn’t think I should be coaching the JV soccer team and it seemed like there were issues every week that sucked the joy out of the experience. At the end of the year I was let go from my coaching position. Since coaching was my motivation for becoming a teacher, I suddenly felt lost and empty. My training went from running 4 days a week plus a long weekend run to running twice a week to not running at all. By the time my 100k attempt came in June, I was so under-trained that I wasn’t able to complete the course.
I applied for another position at the school and was told that I was not selected because I “tend to rub people the wrong way” and people might not be comfortable working with me. I was crushed! I considered quitting my job. I tried to fill my time with other projects. I got 
sloppy and almost cut my finger off with a table saw. When the school year started I was apprehensive. This was to be an exciting year. For the first and only time I would get to have my all 3 kids in the same school as I was teaching. But, I really didn’t want to be there.
Running is what keeps my serotonin levels up. It is my strongest tool against depression, but I had abandoned it. I continued to spiral down to the point that I considered taking my own life… more than once.
I finally realized that God was trying to get me to take a break. All these things were being removed from my plate because I refused to remove them. Honestly, it’s not easy for me to take a break. I sometimes feel like I’m not doing anything. I guess that’s the point. A couple of months ago, some good friends of ours asked us if we ever just have a weekend where we don’t do anything. I remember thinking “no, why would I do that?” That’s when I started thinking about it and realized that rest is what was missing.
Rest became my new project. I found three biblical reasons we should rest…
- God rested…
- Gen 2:2-3 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
- He didn’t need to rest, but He did.
– Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength. - Our God of infinite power and wisdom took a rest after His labor and made that a principle and a commandment to us all.
- God commands us to rest…
- Exodus 20: 8″Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
- Leviticus 19:30 “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.”
?? - Sabbatical – Sabbath – both from the root word for 7… The entire Law of the Sabbath includes:
- Rest 1 day every 7 days
- Rest 1 week every 7 weeks
- Rest 1 year every 7 years – this is a farming principle applied today. If the soil is constantly worked without getting a chance to rest, it will not produce a strong, healthy crop… and neither do we.
- Jesus offers us rest…
- Mark 2:27 “Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
- Matthew 11: 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
- “Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said…”
Hebrews 4:3
Rest is good for our spirit, our mind, and our body. So, here are three things we can do to rest effectively in the way that God wants us to and that He offers to us…
- Believe Him! Many people claim to “believe in” Jesus, but do we BELIEVE what He tells us? He loves you. He cares for you. He has a hope for you. He is concerned about you and your circumstances. You can show you believe and trust Him by:
- Spending time with Him. A little every day…. 1 day every 7 days, 1 week every 7 weeks, 1 year every 7 years. It doesn’t always mean you have to stop doing what needs to be done. Ask Him to give you rest in your busy-ness.
- Do something that strengthens and encourages your soul. For me, I need to get back to running… without letting it over-run me.
- If you can’t take time off of work, dedicate a week at work to Him and ask Him do guide you in your work that week. I’ll let you know when I figure out a way to take a year off every 7 years, but I think it has to do with dedicating our efforts to Him and asking Him for rest in Him while we work.
- Get real rest.
- Take a nap. Take a vacation. Spend a weekend away… or at home doing something that feeds your soul.
- Leave work at the office.
- Spend time with your spouse, your kids, friends that encourage and fill your soul.
- Spend time alone. Don’t neglect the time you spend on your own, shutting out the noise of the world, meditating, praying, thinking, planning.
- SELAH – I used to think it was an untranslatable word sprinkled through the Psalms but then I learned it is actually an instruction to the worshiper to stop… and listen. Maybe “one word” isn’t a bad idea after all. I think my one word this year is SELAH.
Most importantly, you are not alone. If you are struggling with depression and having thoughts of self harm, call a trusted friend, talk to your doctor, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
You can help by supporting ToWriteLoveOnHerArms directly or by attending/supporting Storytellers events around Sacramento.
Truth be told, rest means something different for everyone. Talk to God about what His rest means to you. Take a break. And then get back to work! God has great things for us to do this year and He needs us rested and ready.
