Rest and Weight Loss
It may sound funny for a weight loss company to talk about rest, but did you know lack of rest can cause your body to not release weight? Stress will actually cause you to retain weight. Not only are we out of alignment spiritually, but physically we are self-defeating.
I wrote the following devotional about a year ago. It is now part of one of our courses. See if you can relate:
Rest and Trust
It’s easy to say, “I trust you, Lord,” and sing worship songs about trust. But what does it mean to trust Him wholeheartedly?
I’ll tell you what it doesn’t mean—it’s 3:00 AM, and I can’t sleep.
We sold our home, and it has me feeling very unstable and insecure. I’m on a website called Zolo looking at pic after pic of houses—4 bedroom bungalows, three-bedroom back-splits, two-stories. Should we move west? Should we move north? What if I don’t like it? What if we’ve made a mistake? These are the thoughts that kept me awake for many nights. I’m so anxious, and my spirit is restless. Restless.
Definition of Restless
Webster defines restless as,
(a) Not satisfied to be at rest or in peace; averse to repose or quiet; eager for change;
(b) Characterized by or showing an inability to remain at rest;
(c) Unquiet or uneasy, as a person, the mind, or the heart
Yup, that sounds about how I’ve been feeling. Uneasy, eager for change, not satisfied, or not at rest. I felt compelled to keep searching. It felt like it was becoming an obsession.
After weeks of this agony and the mounting consequences, such as lack of sleep, and my neglect of other responsibilities, including my healthy eating boundaries, in a gentle, loving voice, I heard this in my spirit, “Do you trust me?” I responded with a resounding, “YES!”
“Then why are you restless? Trust me!”
Restlessness is Lack of Trust
Funny, until this time, I never made the connection. My inability to remain at rest was showing me a lack of trust in the Lord. I saw my restlessness as a natural desire to get things done. But in truth, it was only making me more restless and was impacting my ability to get anything done. That’s the deceptive nature of striving and working in our strength. It’s relentless. We can never be satisfied. In our power, we lack the gauge or shut-off valve to tell us when enough is enough, so our spirit always feels unsettled.
Since then, I’m learning to see my restlessness from an entirely different perspective. I now see it as my visible reaction to an invisible heart problem—my lack of trust in the Lord. Not being at rest tells me that I’m coming out of alignment with God, and I now see it as an opportunity to repent, stop, and listen to how the Lord is leading me.
What the Word Says
When I’m feeling restless, it’s because I’m trying to operate in my strength. But restlessness is relentless. It’s an itch that always needs scratching, and that’s why the Lord calls us to cast our cares on Him. He is the only one who can satisfy that itch and calm our restlessness. The Lord calls us to let go of our burdens and let him carry them (Matt. 11:28). In His infinite wisdom, He created us to be in partnership with Him—where we both work, but He does the heavy lifting. He provides us with an easy yoke.
As long as we continue to work in our strength, we will always have to contend with feeling restless. We will continuously be in a state of restlessness.
This was the trap for the Pharisees as they tried to create their own rules and regulations. They were trying to mandate against their very restless nature by never resting in their battle against restlessness (Matt. 23:1-25).
And this was the trap for Martha. She focused on the wrong priorities that created restlessness and angst in her instead of resting at the feet of Jesus (Lk. 10:38-42).
But when we choose to trust in the Lord, we don’t have to worry or feel restless.
Trust Equals Rest and Rest Equals Trust
Lack of faith in the Lord always causes restlessness. And in a desperate attempt to push away the restlessness, we try to work harder! How ironic!—we work to find rest.
Meanwhile, Jesus is continually calling us to rest in Him and learn from Him.
When you trust, you will rest. Rest equals peace. Rest means quieting all our racing thoughts—our need to figure it out, our worries and concerns, and entrusting them all to the Lord.
In your journey, health, or otherwise, do you totally and completely trust God? Here is the test—your head may say, yes, but is your spirit able to rest?
When you’re feeling restless, see it as an opportunity to go inward and truly surrender your cares to the Lord. Stop the behavior you’re engaging in and repent.
Relaxation Exercise
Make a list of all of the areas where you’re feeling restless. With each thought or feeling, declare, “Less of me and more of you, Lord.”
Reflect
1. Pay attention to what is causing you to feel restless. Identify the source of it.
2. What is the relationship between rest and trust? Explain it in your own words.
3. Why does Jesus continually call us to rest in Him?
Learn More
Learn more about how to rest in the Lord to have peace and achieve healthy weight loss by signing up here for “Rest, Restore and Rejuvenate.”
2 Comments
Perfect timing! Restlessness is something I really struggle with. This is just what I needed to read today. Than you!
SO GOOD!! Looking at my need to do more differently. THANK YOU!
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