When I offer spiritual direction to people, I often begin by prescribing sleep, margin, time off work—rest. Because chronically exhausted, sleep-deprived, overbusy people are not loving, peaceful, and full of joy. Rest is essential to apprenticeship under Jesus. Tiredness is an unavoidable feature of life this side of eternity, but so many of us operate at a dangerous level of tired, so much that we can’t sense God’s presence or hear his voice.
