The Best Nap Ever

The Best Nap Ever

The Best Nap Ever

 I’ll refresh tired bodies; I’ll restore tired souls.

Jeremiah 31:25 The Message

       As I write this, two days before Thanksgiving Day, 30 days before Christmas, and 36 days until the end of this year, I can almost hear the door shut on one year and another open on a New Year. I can almost see the finish line of 2025, but I’m so tired that I have no idea how I’m going to make it there. I still have projects around the house to finish, sermons to write, special events to plan for, and countless items on my honey-do list. True confession? All I really want to do is take a nap and then binge watch some Hallmark Christmas movies. I know that sounds ambitious, but I like to have some goals.

Here’s the point: we all reach points in our life when we’re like, “Check, please. I think I’m done.” But life still goes on, and there are Thanksgiving meals to make and groceries to buy and Christmas gifts to order from Amazon and work projects that have to be finished and chicken that needs to be cooked before it goes bad and you have to throw it out. [Side note . . . I really wanted to make a joke about how you know when the chicken has gone bad . . . when it starts smoking and wearing little black leather jackets. See how tired my brain is right now?]

But you know what? We have a God who understands that life can wear us down. He made us to need rest, which is why all the health articles tell us we should be getting at least eight hours of sleep each night. We function better, we think more clearly, and our moods are infinitely better.

Often, it’s not just our physical bodies that need rest. It’s our souls. The physical tasks can wear us down, but it’s often the mental and spiritual battles that feel like they’re going to kill us. But God never meant for us to walk through them alone. He promised to refresh our weary souls. He knows the battles we face, that the daily grind and just life in general is hard. We just need to go to Him and ask Him to refresh the places in us that feel like they’ve reached an end. And hey, even Jesus enjoyed a good nap every now and then!

Thanks for reading Pastor Dale’s Mid-Week Encouragement.  It’s not copyrighted so feel free to share it with someone who needs encouraged today. And, if you’re a regular attender of the Mt. Laurel Church of God, please consider reading Isaiah 2:1-5 to get yourself ready to hear God’s message through Pastor Dale this coming Sunday, November 30, the first Sunday in the season of Advent!

Called to know the Way, go the Way, and show you the Way,

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.