Finding The Road To Restoration

I hate feeling worn out. That “don’t want to cook, don’t want to clean, don’t even want to get out of your clothes and shower” type of worn out. The kind where all you really want to do is lie in bed and do nothing. Not even eat. It hasn’t been that bad lately, but something is out of whack. And I hate it.

I may not get that “doctor ordered” eight hours for sleep each night, but I figure I should be able to muddle through. I used to. I spent years sleeping only four hours a night, and still making my way through long workdays, church activities, and gatherings with friends without much of a complaint. Not lately though.

Now, my husband and I can barely make it through an evening without falling asleep before our intended bedtime. Our eyelids get heavy while doing work on the computer, watching our favorite TV shows, reading. Our date nights at home even turn into long impromptu naps. And sometimes, we find ourselves trying to fight being tired so we can get a little time together before sleep fairy clubs us over the head and we go comatose.

There have even been nights where we finally make it to bed, but we don’t wake up to the alarms we set hours earlier. In fact, we don’t even hear them, and it takes a move from God to get us out of bed on time.

Even with all the complaining I may do, it’s in moments like those where I realize God is still taking care of me. Hard times tend to make you forget that He has a plan to give you everything you need in perfect time. You just have to be open to it. It may not come in the form you expect. This week alone, I’ve had a number of unexpected opportunities to rest.

A week-long vacation was not in the near future, but God gave me a week of uninterrupted sleep whenever my head hit the pillow.
My husband worked late a couple of nights and I had to miss some events, but God gave me another opportunity for rest.
And I had to work one day on an overnight schedule and stay up all night, but God gave me a chance to finish the workday early and sleep all day without feeling bad about it

After all this, I can honestly say I’m on my way to being restored.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. ” (Psalm 23:1-3 NKJV)