He Lets Me Rest

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. Psalm 23:2

"But you just had a whole summer to do nothing! You shouldn't need a break."  These are words we educators hear more often than not.

While it is true our work schedules are different from other professionals, our time on the job is intense: 

the responsibility of caring for others' children, 

for teaching rigorous content, 

for assessing & reporting, 

for remediating & enriching dozens of individuals, 

for growing ourselves as professionals

... and squeezing it all in to fewer than 190 days ... yes, it is intense!

There is no downtime, no slowing down or taking breaks during school. Even weekends and evenings are strategically planned for us teachers to grade  papers and create lesson plans.

It's easy to burn out, to run ourselves ragged.

We must take time to rest.  School holidays and long weekends help us de-stress and catch up on life outside of school.

In a Nutshell
I wouldn't change my chosen profession, but I am grateful for scattered opportunities throughout the school year for rest.

Gracious heavenly Father, You created rest. I am grateful You saw fit to allow rest to follow work.  Too often, I have failed to rest as you directed, and I have pushed myself to exhaustion and burnout. I am no good for You when I do this. Forgive me for my disobedience. Thank you for peaceful opportunities to relax and rest, for green meadows of stillness and solitude.  Thank you for peaceful waters that refresh and rejuvenate me. Thank you for renewing my strength to return to work and to serve You better. In the name of Jesus, Amen.