Renew, Refresh, Reset, Restore

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. --Psalm 51:10

Ah, electronics. They make so many tasks easier and can be a blessing...when they work. Anyone who uses them (most of us, nowadays), knows the frustration of error messages, frequent buffering of video or audio playback, apps not loading correctly, or even the blue "screen of death". If you contact technical support, the first thing they will advise you to do is shut down and restart, and this does seem to fix most issues. For whatever reason, electronics need to be unplugged, shut down and restarted from time to time in order to update and work properly.

Humans have the same need, though we don't always recognize it. With so many demands for our time, it's easy to put rest at the end of the priority list. It becomes something we'll do "when we get time", which in truth means never. Our mind, emotions, body and spirit all need to unplug and reset routinely in order to be refreshed. Burnout can happen easily if we don't balance doing with resting. Intentionally making regular time to rest gives God space to renew and refresh our souls. There is no fast-food drive-thru version of refreshing. We can't receive God's refreshing while we're on-the-go. We can't hang on to all our busyness and also have room for God's renewal. Making time for resting may mean saying "no" to some things. It may mean cutting back on some of your volunteer time or work hours. It may even mean cutting back on time volunteering at church if that is something you find yourself overdoing (yes, it's ok to say no at church! But that's a topic for another time).

If you find yourself feeling tired, irritable, forgetful, and not enjoying things you used to, it may be a sign that you are burned out and need a break. Be intentional about making room for God to renew and refresh you. Ask Him how he would want you to do that specifically and then make that a priority. He fully expects us to need this from Him regularly and is ready to pour into those that make space for Him.