Rest As Spiritual Practice
By Teriz Michael and Teresa Pressley
Photo courtesy of Freepik
Many of us have forgotten what rest means and looks like. Most of us have not grown up with healthy examples of rest. Sometimes we confuse rest with being passive, complacent, unproductive, or lazy. Nowadays, we might mistake rest for doom-scrolling on social media or binge-watching episodes after a long day of work. But in reality, true rest is based on relationship, intention, and commitment.
Rest In Relationship
The world has been invited into entering God's rest through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and as Christians we are blessed to see the firstfruits of this. Our trust and faith in Jesus moves us beyond the toil and work produced by the law, and into the grace, security, and peace of our savior, advocate, and intercessor. Jesus knows we live in a world that depletes and exhausts us. He sees us pushing ourselves to unhealthy limits and says, "Come to me...and I will give you rest.” The rest Jesus offers is an inner rest for the soul, and it allows us to offer others our unhurried presence and to remove ourselves from petty competitions that result in endless busyness. In rest, we learn about contentment, self-worth, good stewardship, and intimacy. In allowing ourselves rest, we begin to notice our thoughts, feel our emotions, develop insight and clarity, and dream again.
Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.
- Isaiah 56:2
When We Choose To Avoid Rest
Machines need scheduled times of rest to maintain their proper function. Likewise, humans need rest as necessary self-care to maintain our proper function and purpose. When we are well-rested and lead a balanced life, we can show up daily as our most healthy and sound selves. All throughout the book of Exodus, God emphasizes to His people the importance of Sabbath, or rest. When we neglect ourselves to overbooked schedules and multiple commitments and race anxiously from one task to another, we cause ourselves to die a slow death from exhaustion and burnout.
When We Choose Rest
When we choose rest, though, we demonstrate our faith in God’s provision and sufficiency and we reap the benefits. God works in our time of rest to both sanctify and enrich us; He brings health and healing in the places that have suffered wear and tear from the brutality of life’s endless demands. God wants us to rest. He commands it, for our own good. So if you feel anxious or guilty when you slow down and rest, understand that these feelings are not from God and they can be put aside without fear.
Rest As A Spiritual Practice
While rest is the opposite of noise, rush, and wear and tear, it is not limited to putting our feet up and doing nothing. Delighting in Him, worshiping Him, and meditating on His word: Sabbath is simply a day of reorienting ourselves toward God (Isaiah 58:13-14). There are so many ways to actively rest in the Lord, to seek Sabbath. Our recent book, Self-Care Is Scriptural, contains a list of practices to try. But if none of these practices become your go-to, that’s fine. Try another. Just don’t give up. God has given us this gift of His rest, and your mind, body, and soul need it.