The Biggest Loser: Week 4-4

Rest

In the last three installments we have discussed three visible attributes to the television show “The Biggest Loser”: diet, workout and the challenge. However, there is a fourth attribute that is rarely, if ever seen. After all, who would watch two hours of contestants sleeping?

Although it is seldom seen, rest is one of the most important qualities to losing weight [I read on AOL news that seven hours of sleep a night could help one maintain or lose weight… just by sleeping at least seven hours!] Rest is important, but although it is rarely seen it is often overlooked.

This became a major issue during the spring 2009 series of “The Biggest Loser” as one contestant came head to head with the fact that she just needed to rest. If you have watched the program you know that it is normal for the contestants to lose anywhere from five to thirteen pounds in a given week, especially at the outset. However, as time goes on it becomes tougher to put up big numbers. One particular week Tara didn’t put up a big number, in fact it was a totally discouraging week for her. She couldn’t understand why, after all her work, she hadn’t lost any weight. She had worked extremely hard and eaten extremely healthy but didn’t lose enough weight to show for her effort. Disappointment was an understatement.

You see, Tara was working out a lot… so much in fact she had been missing sleep, and although her workout was intense, her recovery time was suffering. She needed rest. After she adjusted her schedule, paced her self, and made time for rest she once again began losing the big numbers that she needed to stay in the game.

This shouldn’t really shock us, after all, God rested on the seventh day of creation, and since we are made in His image we need to find time to rest too [I understand God didn’t “need” rest but instead modeled rest for His creation].

Again, the parallel between being physically overweight and being spiritually loaded down with sin-fat are too obvious to discount. If rest is necessary for the loss of physical-fat, then it is only obvious that rest is essential for the loss of sin-fat.

Jesus, the Master Trainer, said it this way, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NASV).

Now, when I think of rest I think of relaxation – I think of comfort. In the spring of 2007, my wife gave birth to our son. We arrived at the hospital on Friday evening; however, Jack didn’t show up until Saturday afternoon. The way I like to think of this is the time between checking in to the hospital and the actual arrival of our son was the complete opposite of comfort – in fact it was very uncomfortable. Twice during the night we made 45-minute walks around the hospital halls [apparently walking aids in baby delivery], we were both starving because you aren’t allowed to eat when you’re about to have a baby [although I had made a secret, emergency run to Wendy’s when I moved the car], and when they did hook Bethany up to a monitor it would alarm every 30-minutes or so [I am leaving out the archaic “husband” chair they expect the significant other to rest on simply because I am trying to eliminate this from my memory]. Oh, and of course the labor pains and all that the mommy incurs are painful and uncomfortable too, I’m sure [I really am sure… I’m not man enough to go through that myself!]. Baby delivery is physically exhausting. Only once Jack arrived and we knew he was in capable hands could we search for rest; only then could we look for comfort.

Lets face it, our lives are a workout. Every day we are forced with new obstacles to climb and hurdles to jump, and every day we constantly search for comfort. Some of us try to find comfort in food, while others find comfort in repetition. For some, the “known” offers the safety net of comfort, whereas the “unknown” builds tension and anxiety. Most of the time comfort is not found in adventure or discipline but it is found in the mundane, day-to-day activity of going through the motions. We are all searching for comfort…

And all the while Jesus is inviting us, "Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (NCV).

Understand, God never invites His people to find comfort in anything but Him. Yes, there’s going to be trials, challenges, and temptations, but we are only invited to find comfort in Christ. Any other attempt to find comfort is an attempt to manufacture our own comfort, and when we manufacture our own comfort we don’t have to rely on God’s comfort.

Lets unpack this further. Why do financial institutions freak out during an economic crises? Because their comfort is in manufactured in their finances. Why do drug users freak out without drugs? Because their comfort is manufactured in their next fix. Why do church people freak out over a change in worship order? Because their comfort is manufactured in a tradition [I believe tradition is good if there is reason behind it but bad when it becomes the thing we worship]. Why do we freak out at the first sign of a new opportunity? Because we manufacture comfort in our human limitations.

However, God never invites His people to find comfort in anything but Him.

We are closest to God when we find rest/comfort in God. When we are stressed, tired and vulnerable is when we truly rely on God; when we rely on God is when God can mold us into who He has designed us to be. After we have eaten the right foods, diligently trained, and overcome challenges we need the recovery time that only rest can bring.
Just as in our physical weight loss so it is in our spiritual work-off of sin-fat: it’s time for rest when stress and weakness takeover. As the disciple Peter explains, “…6 humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you” (I Peter 5:6-7, NLT).

That’s reassuring… God cares about you and wants you to trust Him!

Are you tired? Do you need rest? God is inviting you to find comfort in Him.