Learning To Rest
Dear Friends,
For many of us, rest does not come easily. We've bought in to the lie that we should be busy all the time. That acceptance and approval of us comes from our performance. That if we take a break we are wasting valuable time. We worry what others will think of us if we rest. And to top it all, if we do rest, we tend to then feel guilty for doing so.
Yet we need rest for our overall health and wellbeing. Rest brings refreshment and renewal and a chance to reconnect with God. We need to learn how to rest as it doesn't come naturally to many of us. God knows how essential rest is to our wellbeing, he knows it is an essential part of our lives. He is the one who brought order out of chaos, he created rhythm with day and night, weeks, months, seasons, planting and harvesting, work and rest, etc.
Jesus knew the value of rest, he demonstrated this to us by the way he lived. He lived out the rhythm of rest and activity. He also encourages us to find our rest in him. "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." Matthew 11:28-30 (AMPC)
I also like how the Message paraphrases those verses: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
In my experience, if we do not make rest a part of our everyday life, then it is something that is forced on us. God will use or allow something to make us rest.
The Psalmist writes in Psalm 23:2 He [God] makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (ESV)
More than twenty years ago, as a result of constantly pushing myself to be busy and keep working, and not resting when I should, I became ill with M.E. Even then, in the early years of diagnosis, I refused to rest when I should have. I would push myself too far and for too long, yet accomplish very little. By lunchtime I would collapse with extreme fatigue, muscle weakness and pain, and need to spend the whole afternoon sleeping in bed. I was so frustrated - my life was unfulfilling and unproductive. I wasn't living, I was merely existing.
It wasn't until I went to see a Doctor at Burrswood in Kent (a Christian Retreat Centre) that I learned how to rest and pace myself. I learned to pace myself with some activity for a couple of hours, and then have thirty minutes of bed rest before total exhaustion hit me. I would then repeat the cycle through the day. This rhythm of activity and rest made life so much better for me, my batteries were recharged before they got to empty and I was able to accomplish small tasks.
Through illness God has taught me the value of rest. Not just physical rest, but total rest - mind, body and soul - and it has had the added blessing of drawing me into a closer relationship with him.
God knew that the Israelites needed to know rest in their journey through the desert, especially after the brutal work and conditions the Egyptians had forced upon them as their slaves. God knew how rest would bring them freedom, so he included it in his ten commandments. I believe he made it a command, not because he wanted to restrict them or us, but because he knows the necessity of rest and the benefits it brings to us.
"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work... 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy." Exodus 20:8-11 (NLT)
I'm trying to have a day of rest once a week. A day set apart and different to the rest of my week. A day when I don't do housework or work to do with church. It's a day I look forward to and refreshes me for the other six days of the week. A day of rest needs both physical and mental rest for it to be most beneficial to us. Sundays as a day of rest don't work for me, for a number of reasons. So, my day is Monday, partly because that is also Jason's day off work. It means we can have quality time together without the pressures and responsibility of needing to do anything. We can go out for morning coffee or lunch together. It has been a way of God blessing and strengthening our marriage.
A Sabbath rest also provides us with time and space to be with God in ways that perhaps aren't always easy during the rest of the week.
A Sabbath rest helps us to be more aware of God's presence with us in ways that perhaps we don't see when are bodies and minds are busy, rushing from one task to another.
But rest won't happen just because we know we need it. We have to be determined to make it happen and actually implement it. Sometimes this is easier said than done. For example, this Monday I opened my inbox to read some devotional emails. But I didn't just look at these, I noticed a couple of work related emails which grabbed my attention. Instead of ignoring them, I made the mistake of reading them. I answered one and left the other one for the following day. However, for the rest of the day, I found that my mind was no longer at rest, the details of the email and what I would respond were going round and round in my head. It was definitely not such a good day of rest for me.
God has taught me that rest and pacing are valuable skills that we all need for life, whether we are ill or not. Without them we will never function at our best. It will be different for each one of us, depending on our circumstances, our health, our season in life, etc. But through trial and error, and with God's help and guidance, we can all learn how it works best for us in our life.
To Think About:
Have you made rest an important part of your day? Do you find it easy or hard to rest? Why do you think this is?
Can you see the value in practicing a 'Sabbath rest'? What does this day look like to you? You may find this changes over time, so be flexible and open to God's direction.
Spend some time in the gospels reading about Jesus and the example he set when it comes to rest and activity. What do you learn from him which you can then put into practice?
Over the coming week or so meditate on Matthew 11:28-30. Use whichever Bible translation you feel drawn to. Break up the verses and meditate on one phrase at a time. If you journal, make a note of what God is teaching you.
Vicki
If what you read was of interest to you, then you may like to know that my book "Dear Friend...52 Weekly Devotions to Encourage, Challenge and Inspire" is available to buy from Amazon. (It's content is material adapted from previous blog posts.) To learn more, click on the link below:
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