Are You Tired... or Are You Lazy?

Did I just ask that out loud?

We are so tired.

We awake still exhausted, we trudge through days weary, we reach the finish line of the day and breathe a sigh of relief at the completion of our duties.

We are so, so tired.

But why? In a time in history where we are required to expend so little physical energy, why are we fighting to keep even a minimal momentum?

I have a theory, and you may be proving it right now. No, it’s not our phones, though they certainly don’t help. But what if I asked you—

What useful thing could you be doing right now? And even more, what useful thing should you be doing right now?

You see, there’s nothing wrong with seeking respite or allowing for a moment of pause in our day. But if we do so when there are dishes crowding the sink or school to be started, then our minds hold fast to the fact that a to-do list looms large and they never truly enter into the rest we so long to have!

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. —Genesis 2:2-3

This is why the Lord gives specific instructions to His people to do everything before the Sabbath, before the Holy Days. He wants them to prepare not just their spaces, but also their hearts to bask in the quiet of the moment. He doesn’t encourage them to simply push the clutter aside for a while. He doesn’t suggest they just take a break in the middle. He says in His example: Get the work done, then… rest.

When we go looking for a rest we haven’t yet earned, we don’t get it. We try to “take just a minute” in the midst of the piles of unfolded laundry on the couch as the tufts of dog hair roll by like tumbleweeds, and we find no comfort. We cannot rest because we can literally see the work needing to be done right in front of us. Our hearts may lie and say this is respite, but our brains know better.

Hard truth: our flesh is not tired. It’s lazy. It’s lazy and seeking an out. It’s lazy and telling us that we deserve a break, that we have worked hard even when we really haven’t.

Later this week, I’ll share more about why we live in a perpetual state of exhaustion. But until then, try this: before you flop down to scroll your phone and “recharge,” nudge yourself to complete just two small tasks you’ve been avoiding. Wipe the grease off the stove and while you’re at it, pour some water in the plants. Clear the clutter from the center of the table and grab a towel to buff the fingerprints off the wall. Just two things. Not big ones. Just small, every day to-dos. Then set a timer for five minutes and sit down. When that timer goes off, I want you to ask yourself, do you feel more relaxed? Do you notice a difference in your normal slump?

If so, maybe I’m onto something here. Let me know your results in the comments.

In Christ,

Heather