This week: Rest Edited by: Jeff  
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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
— C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Rest
For many of us, rest is an ever-decreasing luxury in our everyday lives. We're booked up every day with work, errands, family obligations, and all kinds of other stuff. "There aren't enough hours in the day" is a common refrain these days, as are responses to someone asking how you're doing along the lines of, "I'm surviving," or "I'm getting by."
Many of us sleep fewer hours than we need to (or would like to) in order to get all the things done that need getting done. Or we try to "multitask" by juggling multiple activities at the same time. For some of us, that even extends to so-called "leisure" activities, where we'll read a book or listen to an audiobook on the way to work, watch videos while we're in the waiting room at the doctor's office, etc. Some people can't watch a movie or television program without also simultaneously being on their phone. At our worst, some of us often have the sensation that we always have to be doing something. That being idle and just sitting or laying around is a waste of valuable time that could be better spent doing something productive.
I struggle with this a lot myself. I can't just go to the gym, I should be listening to a podcast while I'm working out. I can't just drive home from work and enjoy listening to music, I should be getting caught up on my phone calls and checking in with people. I'm tired and I want to go to bed early tonight, but I should be binging a few episodes of that show everyone else is talking about so I don't feel left out! While my kid is at soccer practice, I could be getting caught up on work emails if I bring my laptop and use my phone as a wifi hotspot. There truly are "not enough hours in the day," because there's an endless amount of things to do. Every. Single. Day.
One of the things that I've learned as I've gotten older, though, is that rest is critical. Not just so you can be at your best, but so that you can function at all. I used to be able to get by on two or three hours of sleep a night for days on end when I was in my twenties. Now that I'm older, I can sometimes pull that off every now and then, but it's a struggle the following day and I definitely can't keep that up for more than one or two consecutive nights before I crash hard. Others I know talk about being emotionally or physically drained, exhausted all the time, stressed out, feeling like there's no end to all the to-do lists in their lives.
Regardless of how it presents, being afflicted by lack of rest can have a profound effect on your physical, emotional, and/or mental health. And even before it gets to that point, it can really affect your ability to enjoy and appreciate your life if you're constantly bouncing around from one thing to the next.
The interesting thing is that, no matter what your religious tradition, chances are that there are periods of intentional rest built in. Christians have Sabbath. Jews have Shabbat. Muslims observe jumu'ah. Buddhists have uposatha. Even religious traditions such as Wicca and Baha'i have days or other periods of time focusing on reflection and rest. In the secular world, Spain and certain other Mediterranean and Southern European countries still observe siesta. From some of our earliest and most formative societal traditions, the need to rest has been recognized as not just a luxury, but a necessity.
While it may seem like there's always a better, even more productive use for your time, I'd encourage you to make the time to simply allow yourself to take a break and relax. Do something that you find enjoyable just for the sake of enjoyment and not because it checks an item off your to-do list. Spend a little time being unhurried, where you're always keeping an eye on the clock and rushing from one errand or appointment to the next. There are ample studies and scientific evidence that points to people that regularly engage in rest and leisure not just being happier and more centered, but also being just as productive as those who spend every waking moment being busy, because they make up that lost time with the energy and perspective gained from taking a break and stepping away every once in a while.
If the idea of an entire day of rest seems daunting right now, start small. Set aside an hour of your day to do something purely for the enjoyment of it all, or even to do nothing at all. With a regular habit of giving yourself rest, time not spent doing anything in particular can still be time well spent.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
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EXCERPT: A former pastor of my church once told me that the reason he didn’t preach about Satan is because he didn’t want to scare children and he didn’t want them to know that there was anything other than God. My present pastor hasn’t mentioned anything about temptation either in the few months he’s been here. While much is preached and written about discerning the voice of God, isn’t it equally important to discern the voice of the enemy?
EXCERPT: It was never supposed to be easy – that desired breakthrough that ushers in renewal like a sweet sunrise. It demands a price. It demands heavy toil. That is, strenuous tilling of the existing soil and the uprooting of weeds and weeds one could never have imagined having burrowed so deep. Persistent structures buried so deep as if entrenched in ancient sediments, and sometimes armed with a vanguard of thorns. That which demands supernatural strength to dismantle. But we must face our monsters in order to understand and learn to slay them once and for all. For we are called to establish a new foundation.
EXCERPT: The name of God though relevant is merely a placeholder for a concept, which is beyond comprehension. It is an attempt to grasp and conceptualize things, which are immaterial. This is indicative of language in general. The words themselves are tools to transmit ideas, which dwell within our mind. Conflict arises when these words cannot fully communicate the idea we are trying to represent.
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (September 4, 2024)" about being spiritual but not religious:
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Spiritual: October 02, 2024 Issue [#12772]
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