The Importance of Rest

One of the lessons I'm learning in my running is the importance of rest.  Rest gives your body time to repair, replenish and rebuild from both the physical and mental demands of running.  Like cross-training, failing to rest properly will negatively impact your performance.  Keep pushing yourself too hard and you will wear out or burn out!

I'm also learning there are different types of rest, which is great because we'll all different!  For example, a day or two of completely no training may be in order.  Go for a walk or a swim, take a bike ride.  Just don't do anything too strenuous.  On other days, a short, easy run is needed to help speed one's recovery.

I've found that my body responds much better to running 3-4 times per week.  I try to add it a couple of days for cross-training.  I even tried yoga this past week.  Let's just say it was neither easy nor graceful, but that's for another post!


All of the reading I've done on the subject of rest points to the same thing... rest is essential to becoming a better runner.  

Rest is also necessary to one's spiritual health.  God, in his infinite wisdom, created us with the need to rest.  In fact, God modeled our need for rest after he created the heavens and the earth.  We read in Genesis 2:2-3, "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."  Later, in Exodus 31:15, we read, "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord."


Why did God prescribe the need to set aside one day to rest?  So we could spiritually repair, replenish and rebuild from the physical and mental demands of life!  

Just as I'm discovering with running, there are different ways to find our spiritual rest.  These include our times of corporate worship, as well as times of personal solitude; time reading the Bible and other great authors; prayer; a walk (or run) through a park; singing or listening to music; serving others.  I'm sure there are many other ways to find one's rest.  Please share your favorites with us.

The main idea is this... spiritual rest is essential to becoming a better person.  


-- Pastor Pat