Do you get so busy that you forget to enjoy life? I recently went on a weeks vacation, and although I was busy sightseeing and going, it was a different type of busy. I was with my husband, my loved ones, seeing the beauty. For those who know me or who have followed my blog, you know that photography is my way to disconnect, to connect with our Creator and see the beauty He has created. It's been months since I intentionally picked up my camera, actually close to a year. I have not had my 'photo days' where I grab the dog and the camera and just go take photos. I will admit that because of busyness and lack of rest, my creativity has taken a vacation, and I was just breezing through the day, not seeing the sunsets, the flowers, the beauty. I do not want to live that type of life. It's not truly living if you are not experiencing life.
Rest is more than a nap. Rest is more than an hour massage or a day off. Sometimes we feel guilty that we haven't rested so we 'schedule' a couple hours of rest, and it becomes just like all of our other commitments we have on our to do list. Our rest becomes a task to accomplish and we become more and more exhausted.
I know many who have told me they had to become sick, to become well. They had to be knocked down with chronic illness, probably caused by too much busyness and not enough rest, to find out how important true, real rest is for all of us. Through these journeys, they have also found out that wealth and success as the world sees it are not what matters in life. The love and laughter of family and friends is what matters. Relationships matter. Rest matters. Real rest.
Chronic busyness causes chronic stress which causes chronic illness. I know. I have recently been diagnosed with one. Yet, I am struggling to prioritize my life to get well. My doctor has given me a warning to slow down, yet I keep going, I keep doing, I keep striving for worldly applause and success. The more I strive for these things, the worse my health is, and the worse I feel. A couple days ago, God made a loud point and made me so dizzy and fatigued, I could not do anything else but rest. I slept. I sat out under our big twisted willow tree and listened to the birds, the sound of the wind, neighbor kids laughing, hummingbirds buzzing over my head, and silence.
We get busy and we forget to pay attention to our life, to our loved ones, to our faith, and to our health. We don't see the beauty, we just get in a mode of doing, not living. We stare at computer and phone screens, thinking we are connected but instead we are deeply disconnected from life and relationships.
I have been rudely awakened to the importance of rest and real relationships through my body having a revolt against my busyness. While I am not thrilled to be dealing with a chronic illness right now, I am thankful that I have been awakened to the life I was living and what it has been doing to my body.
I am in a new season. A season of restoring my health, reconnecting with God, learning to be still, knowing that rest is healthy not bad, and getting intentionally connected with friends and family face to face...these are what matter in life. These are the things that leave a legacy, not busyness.
What needs to change for you today to restore healthy rest, to connect with people face to face, to be still, to see the beauty that surrounds you every day? Make the changes and truly live the life you have been given. It is a gift.
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