Sacred Rest – A Book Review

Steph Nickel says “Whether you sense a need for more rest or not, I recommend Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith.” Read on to see why.

Turmoil & Unrest

Is your life marked by turmoil and unrest? Do you feel as if you need more sleep or an especially long vacation?

No matter where you live in the world, you likely look around and see the desperate need for rest and peace, both internally and externally.

Podcast by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

I heard Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith on one of the many podcasts I list to and decided to purchase a copy of her book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.

The blurb on the back of the book reads like this:

In SACRED REST, you’ll discover a time-tested secret to living your best life. Discover the seven types of rest (physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, spiritual) needed for you to thrive in your relationships, career, and personal goals. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s insightful and practical approach to correcting your work-rest imbalance will help you experience deeper and fuller levels of satisfaction in your life—starting today.

Also included on the back cover is this endorsement by author Heidi McLaughlin:

Once you get a taste of a well-rested life, nothing else will satisfy.” That quote is a nibble of the masterpiece you will feast on in Saundra Dalton-Smith’s book SACRED REST. Through a well-balanced weaving of her life’s stories, substantiated research, and inspired selection of Scriptures, Saundra has created a perfect mix for challenging each reader to find their place of rest. I highly recommend this book as it’s chock-full of practical tips, and you’ll want to buy ten more for your family and friends, or use it for a book club or Bible study.

Three Sections

Sacred Rest includes the following three sections: “Why Rest?,” “The Gift of Rest,” and “The Promises of Rest.”

“Why Rest?” includes chapters such as “Living the Burned-Out Life,” “The Rest You’ve Been Missing,” and “Finding a Sweet Place to Land” and nine others.

Here are six of the twelve questions the author recommends we ask ourselves:

Do you often feel tired when you wake up in the morning?

Do you find yourself having difficulty concentrating?

Are your emotions easily affected by the actions of others?

Do you suffer from headaches, muscle aches, or generalized fatigue with no known medical diagnosis?

Are your relationships with others strained because of your inability to stay connected?

Do you find yourself spending more time doing things you have to do than things you want to do?

You can likely say yes to one or more of these questions. I know I can—at least at times.

The Second Section

The second section, “The Gift of Rest,” includes “The Gift of Boundaries,” “The Gift of Permission,” and “The Gift of Faith” as well as nine others.

“The Gift of Boundaries” includes the following statements:

                Emotional boundaries protect you from others’ abuse.

                Sensory boundaries protect you from fatigue and overstimulation.

                Physical boundaries protect your health.

                Social boundaries protect you from the perfectionism trap.

                Social boundaries also value your inner circle.

                Spiritual boundaries provide room for unhurried intimacy.

                Mental boundaries protect your priorities.

                Creative boundaries abandon life’s outcomes to God’s sovereignty.

The Promises of Rest

The last section, “The Promises of Rest,” is summarized in the chapter titled, “I Choose My Best Life.”

In this chapter, readers learn how to renew their energy, restore their sanity, and recover their life.

The book also includes the author’s “Personal Rest Deficit Assessment Tool” to discover where readers are truly not getting enough rest. Remember, she outlines seven areas where we need rest.

After having answered the questions included in this assessment tool, I realized that the #1 area in which I may have a rest deficit is in the area of mental rest.

It’s quite possible that I could gain even more insight into my own need of rest by taking the quiz at RestQuiz.com, but for now, I will seek to apply what I’m learning from Sacred Rest.

The author also includes information about the “Thirty-Day Sacred Rest Challenge,” which I may take at some point. You can do so by visiting IChooseMyBestLife.com

Whether you sense a need for more rest or not, I recommend Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. You may discover yourself in its pages. Plus, you may be better able to understand your family, friends, and co-workers better.

What have you read and can recommend? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.