“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.” Mark 4:38a
I’m in the midst of week eight of nine weeks of consecutive travel all over the country for work. My body is exhausted and I wish I could say I rest on the weekends but I often have volunteer commitments. My weeks feel like I’m running non-stop. Last week on the plane from Boston to San Francisco, I knocked out. I’m talking about head tilted back, mouth open, good sleep. As the plane landed, the elderly woman seated in my row excitedly remarked how much I slept on the plane and encouraged me that rest was a good thing. A few hours later my cousin remarked how glowing and refreshed I looked on our video call. Sleep really does the body good!
In this day and age, the hustle and bustle of life can prevent us from enjoying rest. There’s always another thing to do whether it’s cleaning the house, another load of laundry, homework, scheduled activities for you or the family that even the weekends can be filled with work: tasks and to-do’s.
The Bible discusses rest in two primary ways: physical rest and finding rest in God. Either approach requires us to break away from the busyness of the grind and our business as usual in order to pause and let our physical body and our mind rejuvenate and replenish. Similar to how our computers get sluggish when we leave them on consistently, so the ability of our bodies and our mental sharpness also decrease when we’re running nonstop.
In the Crosswalk article “5 Benefits of Rest,” Jeanne Doyle outlines:
Rest re-orients our thinking patterns
Rest refreshes us
Rest recharges our batteries
Rest helps us to refocus
Rest revives
I don’t think many of us disagree with the benefits of rest. The challenge is how can we accomplish it. Here are some tips and strategies:
Learn to say no: The busyness in our lives is often created because we overcommit ourselves. Perhaps we’ve bought into the societal value of always being busy and having something to do. Or maybe we appreciate being helpful to others no matter the cost to us. Whatever the case, we should consider praying about commitments and discerning if it’s a task God wants us to do before signing up to say yes. (Proverbs 16:9, Psalm 32:8)
Start small: My grandma used to say “if you take one step, God will take two.” We don’t have to wait until we can carve our thirty minutes or more in our day. We can start small by engaging in quiet time and getting in God’s presence via prayer, praise and worship, or silencing our thoughts even five minutes per day. As we begin the practice of finding rest in Him, He’ll grow our little into a lot just like Jesus did with the seven loaves of bread to feed the crowd. (Mark 7:31-8:13)
Avoid materialism and earthly glory: It never hurts to do a motive check for why we might be grinding so hard. Are we seeking after the things of this earth that will pass away? Are we attracted to the title, our notable affiliations, being seen and praised by humans? Distractions in this world can cause us to lose focus on God and the eternal things that truly matter day after day. (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 16:27)
Observation of the Sabbath is one way to find rest but it’s not the only way. In fact, Romans records: “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” (14:5) What’s more important is that we find time to rest regularly because both God (Genesis 2:2-3) and Jesus (Mark 4:31, 38) made time for rest. I don’t know about you but if an Almighty God and an all-powerful Son of God needed rest, it is clear to me that as humans we need rest too!
Reflection
How can I prioritize rest in my daily schedule? What habits or commitments do I need to change in order to recharge and replenish? What can I start today that will reflect God’s and Jesus’s model of rest?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the gift of rest. Forgive me for not taking advantage of this precious resource. Help me to model my rest practices after You. Show me what I can do differently in order to be refreshed physically, mentally, and spiritually. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by Sylvie Tittel on Unsplash
Rest is essential--a timely reminder!