Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life . . . ” // Luke 21:34
I have always loved my sleep.
As a baby, I declined rocking and soothing in favor of snuggling into my crib for a blissful nap.
As a child, when company stayed late I’d pipe up to proclaim, “I’m tired, may I go to bed now?”
Nowadays, I find myself yawning to my teens, “Time for prayers! It’s past Mom’s bedtime!”
It’s ironic, then, that God called me to spend fifteen years in a profession where I regularly had to forgo precious sleep. Throughout my military service, I had to catch a wink whenever I could: on a cot before early musters, on a bed of rocks in a raging storm, in the back of a troop truck with my head propped against my battle buddy. I learned exactly how crucial rest is for our bodies to function—not only in the moment, but to persevere through future demands.
This rest is not just imperative for our bodies. It’s equally essential for our souls.
There are a thousand ways to become spiritually drowsy, deprived of spiritual rest in Jesus. Our Lord Himself cites a few in today’s Gospel: “carousing, drunkenness, and the anxieties of daily life” (see Luke 21:34). Beyond these we cling to countless other escapes and excuses: work or vocational busyness, materialism, perfectionism, self-sufficiency. They drug us into distraction from God and lull us into complacency in prayer—and in our growing drowsiness, the enemy catches us unaware.
The antidote? Intentional time with the Person of Rest: Jesus, Our Good Shepherd.
When it comes to our souls, Jesus is our only true rest and restoration.
Just as our bodies need hours of sleep each night, our souls need adequate time in honest relationship with Jesus—called prayer—every single day. Even when our schedule seems contrary to rest, we can still catch snatches of prayer throughout the day if we allow it.
This Advent, let yourself prioritize this spiritual rest. During Advent, as we pause our daily devotions based on the Mass readings, we’re inviting our entire Blessed is She community to take refuge in the Good Shepherd’s arms through our Advent Devotional, Found. You can purchase the book in PDF or hard copy or just follow along in your daily devotional email.
Come rest awhile, sister. He’s here: open-hearted and waiting for you.
Megan Hjelmstad is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. In her “spare” time she serves as a Catholic Writer, Speaker, and Women’s Mentor, helping women to embrace their God-given dignity and deepen their prayer relationship with the Lord. She is the author Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Suffering, a writer for SpiritualDirection.com, and a longtime team member of Blessed is She. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
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