You need to rest

 

Life can be overwhelming at times, but more so these days when there is so much happening in the world. And I say that because though you may not be in the direct line of fire, so to speak, our world has become small and the events that take place around us affect us.

On top of everything we have to deal with in our personal lives, we listen to the news, changing from one channel to the next to catch the latest headlines, we surf the web, read the papers and engage in conversations about war and politics and crime and injustice and racism and the list of sordid events goes on and on, all of it feeding our subconscious and we wonder why we’re always so tired.

Day after day we lap it up not realizing the effect all that negativity is having on us.

I have a friend who, genuinely needing someone to talk to, would call to unload his problematic life on me. One day my mother said, “Soon enough, if you continue listening to his problems it’s going to have an adverse effect on you.” I scoffed and continued taking it in because as a good friend that’s what I should do.

Well, after days turned into months of him spilling himself empty while I was getting full, my mother’s words proved true as I began to feel unusually drained. My energy had been depleted to the point of extreme fatigue. I wondered, “Could that be the cause?”

I went back to my mother, her advice to me, “You need to rest. Stop listening because you are absorbing too much negativity.”

Yes beloved, you need to rest; it is essential to your well-being.

He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. (Psalm 23:2 GNT)

This verse leaves no doubt as to who you must turn to for the rest you need. It is no ordinary rest – not a 10-minute power nap. This is rest that only our loving Father can provide – it is supernatural, allowing you to feed on His nature and bask in His Presence.

According to the psalmist, God wants to give you His rest, rest that is refreshing to your soul, rest that strengthens your spirit, rest that provides you with peace that surpasses every circumstance and transcends understanding. It’s not temporary relief but rest that renews, restores and remains.

You need to rest – to rest in Him, where negativity is replaced with gratitude, where weariness is transformed into strength, and where your mind is at peace and your soul finally finds true rest in God alone.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “You need to rest” ©2026 April 16, 2026