Mental Health: Saying Goodbye to StigmaSample

Day Eight - Rest and Sabbath

Mark 2:27 - Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

Genesis 2:1-3 - So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

I’ve already stated that I am a person of peace.

But what I haven’t always been is a person who Sabbaths.

For those of you who are unsure as to what ‘sabbath’ means, it simply means to take a day in your week to rest. Personally, passionately, purposefully - rest.

A profound trigger for me is stress.

If I am under a great deal of stress, my mental illness flares up.

Thankfully, I have not been in this position for quite some time, but I am very aware of the effects of stress on my mind.

I wonder, do you know what your mental health triggers are?

If you’re unsure, pray and ask God to reveal them to you.

It is key information in your fight to remain healthy and well.

You may be in a season of life where you laugh at me and think - ‘I don’t have time to take a whole day off! I have x, y, and z to do! I need that day to get stuff done.’

I hear you.

Time is valuable, and when you have a family or elderly relatives to care for or any other kind of responsibility that takes up your time, a whole day off sounds like a luxury.

My friends, thesabbath is not a suggestion but a commandment.

Go quickly to Exodus 20:8-11 and read what it says.

I know that the Ten Commandments have been ‘simplified’ in the New Testament to only two, but they are not null and void because of this! They still stand. Just as it is still not acceptable to murder (Exodus 20:13), it is still not acceptable to neglect the holy Sabbath day of rest.

When you struggle with your mind or when you know someone who struggles with their mind, rest is a suggestion that will bring life to you or your friend.

Just as the body needs time to recuperate after exertion, so does the mind.

Sleep is great, but it is not always enough. We need to down tools, switch off our phones, andget away from screens and social media for a little while to recalibrate our souls and reconnect with each other and God.

Make every effort to take a sabbath. I assure you, it will be a game changer for your mental health and well-being.