Momentum For Monday, August 12th 2024

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (Psalm 62:5)

A few months ago, I signed up to compete in a major event for jiu-jitsu at the end of August. Only having the end-goal of the tournament in mind, I didn't consider how much focus and work the training camp would be (I probably didn't think that through very well). But my coaches suggested two top priorities: rest more and get to the tournament healthy.

In the past I've had to drop out of competition because of injury. Though it's a common occurrence in training for jiu-jitsu, I could have adjusted my approach to several things to prevent getting injured. Hind sight is always 20/20 though right?

This time, I'm doing all I can to stay healthy and rested so I can show up with the opportunity to give it my best. I never realized how hard that actually is though. There are evenings where I feel like I should be doing a workout, drilling techniques, or something that's more than just resting. But if I'm supposed to be resting, the most I do is walk.

I never realized how much restraint is needed to rest. Restricting yourself when you think you need to do more or even should be doing more is hard. There have even been times when I've had to pull back in practice. It takes a lot to not beat myself up mentally for not giving 100% the entire practice. But what helps is remembering what my coaches told me were top priorities, rest and get to the competition healthy.

I can think of a few times God made rest imperative. After Creation, when Elijah was fearing for his life from Jezebel, and even Jesus told the burdened to come to him for rest (You know, maybe the overly anxious and burdened societies and cultures we live in today are a sign that we've departed from the rest only Jesus can give, but that discussionis for another post).

If being overwhelmed is an issue, start prioritizing rest. It may take some intentional planning ahead, but give yourself some time to rest. If God rested, then we definitely need to as well.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. “

(Matthew 11:28)