The Necessity of Rest

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To remember

• time physically away = luxury
• sabbath in rhythmic rejuvenation sense = regular rhythms of rest > to make space one day a week
• Our society = a go-go-go society
• we work best when we take the time to rest
• choosing to rest one day a week = don’t keep pace with others who are willing to prioritize work over all else
• life = marathon
• no end > tasks to be done
• we are the ones to protect quality of our rest
• digital world cannibalizes time
• Freedom =/=  absence of restrictions as finding the right ones > those that fit with the realities of our own nature and those of the world

Grace Begets Beauty

“Now I know that the best thing I can offer this world is not my force, but a well-tended spirit, a wise and brave soul.”

Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect

The dust has just settled from some glorious time on a vacation away from my phone. It was the kind of magical family affair out in the forest, miles from town, without cell service. The kind where the windows are perpetually open to let in the mountain breeze, and there was not the same frenetic keeping track of others as we so often have in our perpetually connected society. If someone wanted to go out, they went out – to run, walk, fish, hammock, or otherwise. Or if they wanted to stay in, they read on the porch, played a board game, puttered in the kitchen, or took a nap. There was no checking in, no “where are you’s”, simply …

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Feeling more go-go-go than ho-ho-ho.

A lot of people get a bit more stress at the end of the year, it is actually unnecessary and stupid that they are so rushed by the economic market that is flooding us with masses these days advertisements to buy this and that or to do this and that.

It’s the holiday season, yet not many of us feel rested. We’re more go-go-go than ho-ho-ho. It’s hard to pause when there’s always something we could be doing. We feel guilty admitting we need a break. And even if we do grab a quiet moment, we rarely mentally relax – we’ll check our emails.

Many argue that this is the time to celebrate Jesus’ birth and to be happy to bring the light into this world. However, many of them forget to put his message of peace into action and also feel completely free from the works that the Nazarene Jew did some 2,000 years ago.

By putting our attention more on him we could become a lot calmer, but commerce wishes to tell us that we have to provide many gifts and extensive meals this holiday season.

Many let their night’s sleep be disrupted by bobbing about what they were going to do at Christmas and what gifts would they buy for whom or who they would invite to those holidays.

The last few days, several people had put up candles, being it for Chanukah or Christmas. One would think it are both celebrations which bring us together to enjoy each other’s company.

When one loves each other there should be no reason to worry to have such a gathering, but should be looking forward just to being together. In these darker days, we also should find ourselves at ease in the warmth of our living room, with perhaps some warm drink and a cosy chat and film. Time to indulge in some relaxation.

Trouble is, rest is not an indulgence. It’s a critical part of our functioning, with one recent survey by Sleep School – The State of UK Sleep in 2022 – finding that 46% of us are currently unsatisfied with our sleep, and 58% feel unrefreshed on waking. Anxiety, stress and difficulty switching off mentally were primary contributing factors.

Too often, people don’t understand that lack of downtime or period of time when one is not working or engaged in a planned activity, is detrimental to their mental and physical health, says Dr Sabine Donnai, founder of the Viavi Health Strategy clinic.

“When people burn the candle at both ends, they’re releasing an enormous amount of cortisol, the stress hormone.”

Cortisol, also called hydrocortisone, the major glucocorticoid in humans is an organic compound belonging to the steroid family that is the principal hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, is a potent anti-inflammatory agent used for the palliative treatment of a number of conditions, including itching caused by dermatitis or insect bites, inflammation associated with arthritis or ulcerative colitis, and diseases of the adrenal glands.

We need that Cortisol because it plays a major role in our body’s response to stress. It helps to maintain blood glucose concentrations by increasing gluconeogenesis and by blocking the uptake of glucose into tissues other than the central nervous system. It also contributes to the maintenance of blood pressure by augmenting the constrictive effects of catecholamines on blood vessels.

Lots of people are so used to those cortisol rushes, they don’t realise they’re on high alert.

“They misunderstand this – ‘Oh, I’ve got lots of energy, I can just carry on, do a million things, cope on six hours sleep every night’ – and maybe they’re an A type personality that wants to do a million things.”

There are the good things of having cortisol, but like most things that can be good, having too much of it is bad.

We can need some stress to be active and get some work done quickly and in a good way. Our bow cannot always be tense. We must perform well at the right times, but we must also take the necessary rest at the right times in order to regain our senses and build up energy again.

Our stress response is supposed to be short-lived.

“If I’m chased by a lion, I’m either going to outrun it, or kill it, or it’s going to kill me,”

says Donnai.

“Either way it’s not going to take long.”

But if the stress response goes on and on and on, she says,

“your adrenal glands become fatigued and that’s what we call burnout.”

> Please read more about it: > Why putting your feet up is vital for good health – Having plenty of energy might be a sign you’re close to burnout

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Preceding

Coming together in dark days

Death and rest

The Proper Place of Excess

Witnesses of Christ and of his gospel

Soul Pampering Time

Hope on the Horizon: Pandemic Anxiety Management II~

Broken daily routines

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Additional reading

1. Bereshith 1-2 The Creation of the World – The Seven Days
2. Hellenistic influences
3. Looking at September 2016
4. The express train of the speeding time
5. Come ye yourselves apart … and rest awhile (Mark 6:31) (Our World) = Come ye yourselves apart … and rest awhile (Mark 6:31) (Some View on the World)
6. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
7. Why we do not keep to a Sabbath or a Sunday or Lord’s Day #1 Before rain of food from heaven
8. Not withholding the Good News

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Related

1. Sabbath Rest
2. Alone on Christmas Eve…
3. Rest
4. Merry Christmas!!!
5. between now and then,
6. Refuge
7. Taking A Mum Break
8. How resting can aid your mental health
9. Christmas Reflections
10. Security
11. Dealing with Discouragement
12. Relax During the Holidays
13. 🥰Arts And Craft Time With My Boy And Sisters!🥰
14. 12 Activities For You To Try Out During Boxing Day
15. 6 Tips For Reducing Stress in 2023
16. How To Meditate Properly? 8 Simple Points To Follow
17. 🥰Fashionable Cozy Xmas Selfie Time With Grinch And Max Lol🥰
18. December 26th – Psalm 46:10
19. A Better Way of Life … A Rest For Our Souls
20. How To Meditate Properly? 8 Simple Points To Follow
21. A Relaxing Environment

Broken daily routines

How many of us take our daily routines for granted, not looking at everything we encounter and inspecting what we allow entering into our lives?

Today lots of people are facing a world they do not seem to cope with, them presenting more time for themselves, which for some might not be so easy to tackle. Being confronted with oneself is for many not the most pleasant thing. In the ‘previous world’ (some jokingly say BC = ‘Before Corona’), the world when there was no coronavirus, most people had their daily duties away from home, and now they seem stuck at home, many feeling prisoned in their own surroundings. Instead of just feeling free, having more time for themselves and their family.

Others who had already felt in isolation, because they belonged to people who had made their choice to be part of God’s World instead of being part of Man’s world, now seem to have become more isolated. Luckily this time in history they are not accused to be the cause of this disaster coming over man. In the past that has been different. In previous centuries it happened more than once that we, as the People of God, were targetted, as the ones bringing disasters on others. More than once it seemed the more we tried to do good, the more the enemy was and is coming against us.

This Passover we could not come together and as such many of us could have felt even more isolated than at other times. Though we can be pleased to hear most of our brethren and sisters took time again to thank the heavenly Father for His provision and continued their quest of looking for leaven in all their dwellings and in their minds.

We took at heart that the Father is telling the Bride to get rid of the leaven in our lives. If we are to be a bride without spot or wrinkle, then we should start learning how to identify the spots and wrinkles in our lives, for the purpose of getting rid of them.

In the days of our fathers in Egypt, through the plagues, the social system was so disrupted that they certainly experienced it. In this time of age many people do not see how disrupted our society is. Lots of people have become the slaves of this world and slaves of money and gadgets. They are blinded by the things of the world and have lost track of God.

We live widely in the four winds of the earth and the majority of people living in the industrialised world is not bounded by borders and every year take the time on several occasions to go abroad, some even very far away from home, to find pleasure and relaxation. Many even forgetting you can have that at home too. That is why we see so many in distress because they feel bound by lockdown, whilst now they should feel free from the worldly chains.

Until now, we could still choose to celebrate Pesach in the nations or in the land of Israel, but today we are tied to our local territory. The Elohim had asked to go into our inner chambers, and to close our doors after us; to hide for a little while until the wrath passes.  (Isaiah 26:20) This year as our forefathers did at several times in history, (the last time in Nazi-time) we could feel how it must have been, hiding, just being with a few, not able to feel that unity of a people chosen by God.

As in previous times this year we strongly could feel how The Adonai gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. Once more we could feel the importance to always trust the Elohim Hashem Jehovah because He is forever our mighty Rock (Isaiah 26:3-4) this year, more than in other years we could fully set our minds on our Divine Creator. Now more than in other times we can feel how it is Him Who keeps us completely whole, steady on our feet, because we keep at it and don’t quit. Enough reason to call others also to believe in The One we do believe and to say

Depend on God and keep at it because in the LORD GOD you have a sure thing. (Isaiah 26:4-5)

Let us in this time of disease not be afraid of that disease to go out in the world, to help those in need. Let us be there for the elderly and sick, and help them by their shopping and by providing for the needs they might have.

Jehovah knew that there would come a time when we must remain in our place and He has provided that we can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth through the Spirit of Holiness that was poured out at the time. Let us also show others why they best come to our Bore, and come to see how Jesus is the way to our God, Who is the God above all gods.

Let us others know that they can trust God and should come to believe in the one He has sent. Jeshua out of the tribe of Judah has given himself as a ransom for mankind and taken over the Scepter and is confirmed as the Firstfruits. We have to let others know that because of Jeshua’s death and resurrection, those who have received faith have, become children of Israel according to the promise. We should show others how the time has come to accept that through his awesome work of redemption, the old has passed and the new has come  (Luke 5).

Let us then letting down doctrines that do not bring us as spiritual firstborns to our goal by those who are not spiritual firstborns. They are of no use to us, because the firstborn learns straight from his / her father and not from the other children in the household. We are banns and should listen to ‘our Man’ instead of people who do not know our Man (Jeremiah 31:9) The firstborn who chose Jehovah over the natural firstborn. Draw the line of the birthright according to the written Word.

Let us make God His Name known but also the name of His son who is the one who carries the Scepter. He is the one who teaches the teaching of the written Word by the outpoured Spirit of Holiness to those named after his name (Jeshuaists).

Even in lockdown we can continue to preach, having enough possibilities by internet and modern technology.

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Additional reading

1. First time since Nazi-time no public gathering
2. Importance of Tikkun olam