Rest
Rest
Our culture accepts that sleep deprivation and running on empty are norms. Living full throttle is expected. The ticking of the second hand defines our pace. And God’s rhythms of rest and work give way to a nearly permanent state of exhaustion and impending burnout. You don’t need to look far to see how workaholism is compromising our health as well as our relationships. Lack of adequate rest can ruin our families, damage our souls, even kill us.
When we burn the candle at both ends we
- lose sight of what we enjoy in our work
- find even the things we enjoy doing become a chore
- fail to give people the gift of our attention and presence
- impair our ability to hear God’s voice and discern his movement in our lives
- become obsessive about the to-do list
- lose touch with the human limits that are meant to keep us in touch with God
Clearly, we were not made to work 24/7. We have limits. There is a finiteness to our time and energy. And to live as though there isn’t is destructive as well as delusional. It can be hard to tell the truth about our human capacity and limits because few of us want to accept the losses that come with this truth. We can’t say yes to everything. We can’t go everywhere and see everyone. We can’t have it all. We aren’t indispensable. We are finite beings who need rest. And that is not a bad thing. It is a Godlike thing.
God created us in his image. He is a God who works and then rests. When we rest we honor the way God made us. Rest can be a spiritual act—a truly human act of submission to and dependence on God who watches over all things as we rest.
What is your alternative to work? Is it rest, or is it a different kind of work: work around the house or in the yard? Is doing finances, cleaning a closet or working out your alternative to work? Can you ever stop producing and let down? Honestly, where does rest fit in? Rest is a radical thing in our day and age. It reminds us that we are human beings, not human doings. We are meant to live sane lives that partake of a deep and playful holy leisure. There is enough time in each day for all that God requires of us. And part of what he requires is rest. So settle in and breathe deeply of his gift of rest.
Reflection Questions
- What exhausts you or keeps you working past your limits?
- When and where do you most deeply rest?
Who helps you rest?
- What is it like for you to set aside time to play?
How regular and inviolable is that time?
Spiritual Exercises
- Write down what a perfect day of rest and recreation would look like to you. • Is it within the realm of possibility? Plan when you can take this day or a version of it. Schedule it on your calendar.
- Intentionally place yourself in the presence of God, then do something you delight in: go for a walk, take a nap, talk to a friend, have a cup of coffee, play a game. Enjoy yourself in God. Receive the gift of rest. • Tell God what happens in you as you try to rest.
- Consider whether or not your tiredness is about body or soul. • What kind of rest would refresh your body: exercise, a nap, going to bed early? • What kind of rest would refresh your soul: retreat, sleep, music, reading, centering prayer? • Choose two times this week when you will intentionally enter into rest for body and soul.
- Think about your childhood experience of play. What was it like for you? • How does your past experience affect your ability to play today? • What is fun for you right now? Plan some time for play and fun into your week.
Resources on Rest
Adrenalin and Stress by Archibald Hart
Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass
“Spiritual disciplines are means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. It means somewhere you’re not occupied and you’re certainly not preoccupied. It means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn’t planned on or counted on.” —Henri Nouwen
Retreat
DESIRE | to make space in my life for God alone |
DEFINITION | Retreats are specific and regular times apart for quietly listening to God and delighting in his company. Retreats remove us from the daily battle into times of refreshing, retooling, renewing and unwinding. |
SCRIPTURE | “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ ” (Mark 6:31) “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) “Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near.” (Zephaniah 1:7) “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3) |
PRACTICE INCLUDES |
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GOD-GIVEN FRUIT |
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