Acute “Not-Rested” Sickness
by Mike Killebrew
My heart was pounding, and my breathing was extremely labored as the blood was racing through my veins to distribute the much-needed oxygen throughout my body, especially to the oxygen-starved muscles in my legs. I wasn’t in mountain shape, but my respiratory and circulatory system were working overtime because I was at about 12,500 feet above sea level.
Two days prior, I had flown to the Rocky Mountains from about 700 feet above sea level. This didn’t give much time for me to produce more red blood cells to acclimate to the higher altitude. My 14-year-old daughter and I, along with another father daughter combo and two other close friends were making our way to the top of Mt. Antero in Colorado at about 14,275 feet above sea level. The summit was almost in view, and we were working hard to get there.
Bella and I were on a “rite-of-passage” trip, last month, intentionally submitting to a physical and mental challenge to have a literal mountain top experience. I have climbed several of Colorado’s 14ers, but this was Bella’s first time in the mountains and her first “14er” experience.
It was probably about this point when we started feeling the effects of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). AMS is physical distress experienced because of the body’s difficulty adjusting to lower oxygen pressure at a higher altitude. Most symptoms are mild and ignorable but, in our case, it was causing a slight headache, shortness of breath, serious fatigue, and loss of appetite. Probably the most dangerous symptom was Bella’s dizziness. Several of us in this group have experienced some mild AMS symptoms on previous trips and because of that experience knew what to do. We kept pushing forward slowly and we stopped frequently to rest, hydrating, and forcing down some calories. This allowed us to catch our breath, letting our bodies recover, even if for only a few moments.
Thankfully, because of determination, hard work and some very well-timed restful breaks we were able to get to the top of Mt. Antero! It was a moment to celebrate as Bella and her 14-year-old friend scrambled to the top! While the mountain-top-view was “take your breath away beautiful,” the sense of accomplishment was a profoundly better “view” from this dad’s perspective. I was smiling from ear to ear knowing that my daughter had pushed through something so incredibly challenging.
There were so many life lessons to debrief from that trip, and we did just that a couple days later. One lesson that that I keep reflecting on, especially considering this month’s Good Word of REST, is the importance of well-timed rest. Our mountain trip would likely not have resulted in a summit experience had we not taken time to rest along the route. Acute Mountain Sickness creates distress symptoms while hiking and climbing in altitude, and so does not resting in life and ministry. We’ll never get to our desired altitude in our spiritual journey, in our family relationships, in our ministries and in life in general if we don’t make well-timed rest a priority. The word “acute” in medical terms means a severe and sudden onset. I suspect we have all experienced some “acute” reactions in life because of no rest. Perhaps, like me, you have also experienced the sudden onset of severe symptoms from not taking some intentional, well-timed moments of rest. I can think of many times that I’ve had emotional responses or overreactions to life situations because I had not taken rest seriously. We might even be able to call it “Acute Not-Rested Sickness.”
The symptoms of not resting can be severe. According to the latest News release from the US department of Labor, we continue to hover at near record setting numbers of workers quitting their jobs. In May, they reported that 4.3 million people quit their jobs and careers, continuing what has been called “The Great Resignation.” This post-COVID trend is also having a great effect on the Church. According to a recent Barna study, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry from January of 2021 to March of 2022 has increased from 29% to 42%. In a little over a year this number has increased by 13 percentage points.
Could it be that one of the contributing factors to “The Great Resignation” is that we simply do not take God’s command to rest seriously? Perhaps “The Great Resignation” is a symptom of our “Acute Not-rested Sickness?” Our culture has an insatiable appetite for chasing busyness, efficiency, and accomplishment. We are all guilty of having the endless to-do-list of people to see, places to go and things to do. Often, we do all of this without the well-timed moments of rest that God commands us to take.
We need to do some self-assessment. In Mark 12:30, Jesus tells us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” As we consider this most important command from Jesus, it’s a great reminder to self-assess. Are we doing our very best to love the Lord by considering our emotions (heart), our intellect (mind), our spirituality (soul), and our physical health (strength)?
Perhaps during some self-evaluation, we identify that we are not well rested. Perhaps you are tired, burnt out or realizing that there must be a better way. A quick Google search will give you all kinds of self-help ideas on how to navigate a busy life with endless ways to better organize and manage the schedules that we all keep. We’ve all seen and read some of those ideas. While some of those self-help ideas may be beneficial, I would suggest that God’s Word shows us that it is simpler than that.
In Genesis 1-2 we see that God blessed three things. God blessed the animals that he created in Gen 1:22. He then blessed the humans he created in Gen 1:28. Then in Gen 2:3 “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating all that He had done.” God created a way for us to have well-timed, rhythmic days of rest, calling it the Sabbath. God takes it seriously and He expects us to do the same. Unfortunately, not many of us take it seriously.
Regretfully, I include myself in that statement.
In Exodus 20:8-11 God makes it clear to His people that they are to take a Sabbath. In a list of 10 commands, God uses the more words on this Sabbath command than any of the other nine on the list. God is serious about this command!
Probably like most who are reading this in Be Encouraged, I want the “mountain top” experience that comes with living out what Jesus commanded us in Mark 12:30. As I self-assess, it is clear to me that I need to keep a sustainable life pace to avoid “Acute Non-Rested Sickness.” I need to better practice rest, and I can’t think of better way than to better practice the Sabbath. Will you join me in taking the Sabbath seriously, recognizing that it is a day Blessed by the Lord? Let’s each pick a day, every week, to rest and reflect on how much our Father loves us.
