“I don’t want to ‘Mom’ today.” This was my first thought upon waking one morning this past week, and this was after a decent night of sleep! I am a middle aged, part-time working, mom with multiple children from elementary ages through teens at home. I immediately judged this internal dialogue. Why wasn’t I jumping out of bed, feet hitting the floor, ready to conquer the day? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because I’m attempting to do it all in my own strength and not engaging my world in a posture that includes rhythms of rest.
What are some rhythms of life? We all have them, wake up, brew a cup of coffee, steep a cup of tea, check email, check social media, hang the keys in a certain place, grocery shop on Saturday afternoon, attend church on Sunday etc etc. The list goes on and on and yet when I think about adding in a rhythm of rest my reaction is, “I don’t have time to slow down and stop!” I’m aware that my first answer to the often asked question, “How are you doing?” is always, “I’m/we’re busy” – was I designed to be too busy to rest?
The definition of rest is to cease work or movement in order to refresh oneself, to recover strength. In the scriptures and in agriculture there is a rhythm of leaving land fallow for a season where they don’t plant crops in order to improve the quality of the soil. The word Sabbath is derived from the Hebrew word shavat, meaning “to rest”. Why do I believe the lie I tell myself that rest is for the weak or rest cannot possibly be the answer I need?
Jesus was busy, he had people who constantly followed Him, the crowds pressed in to be near Him, they dropped people through ceilings to gain access to Him, and yet he gave us the example of finding rhythms of rest in the midst of the constant demands. Matthew 14:23 and Mark 6:46 “After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray”. (See also Matthew 14:13, Matthew 15:29, Mark 1:35, Mark 3:13, Mark 6:31-32, Mark 14:32-35, Luke 5:15-16, Luke 6:12, John 6:15) What I appreciate about all the examples of Jesus is that He left his responsibilities behind to be with his Father. Yet there are no accounts of His world falling apart or Him missing His mission because of these times of rest and connection. He didn’t bring the scriptures to read or follow a devotional guide, it simply says He went to pray and connect to His Father. AND it didn’t just only happen from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday as was prescribed by the sabbath. It was a rhythm of choosing connection and rest.
So, if the creator of the world, savior of all, saw the value of stepping away, why is it so difficult for me to do the same? Matthew 11:28-30 ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I know this, but do I believe it? Can I risk stepping away and that my world will not fall apart? OR do I wrongly believe I am the savior of my realm and that my presence is necessary and needed at all times? Is running on fumes an unhealthy badge of honor? Is there a false self “the busy one” or “the superwoman” who may be trying to protect me from these deep fears? What is my good and holy desire? I want to be valued, I want to be seen, I want to be loved. The truth is that all of these desires can be answered and affirmed while sitting at His feet. My identity as Christ’s daughter is bolstered through rest and communion with Him!
We all have the same 1,440 minutes in a day, there is no one who has found a way to stretch or expand time. What if I slowed down and gave God even just 1% (14 minutes) of my day? “Oh, but I’m too busy,” I tell myself. And yet, I just got my annual report for my language learning app on my phone…..3,700 minutes spent learning/playing in 2024, hmmm that’s about 10 minutes a day…..maybe I have more time than I think. What is my act of obedience, what may He be calling me to, can I give Him 1% or 2% of my time? Time to connect, time to rest? What may He be calling you to?
What could this type of rest and connection look like? A time of solitude and quiet, a walk out in nature or just around the block, turning off distractions like phones, computers, TVs, taking deep breaths while paying attention to any physical reactions in your body, listening to worshipful music (maybe instrumental), lighting a candle…there is room for creativity, ask yourself, what connects me to the sacred, what will usher me into God’s presence? I’ve been practicing silence for 2-4 minutes a day, it is HARD, my mind is quick to jump in and before I know it I’m thinking about my grocery list or my lunch meeting later that day. Grace! I acknowledge, become aware, and choose to come back to silence, quieting myself takes practice and it’s worth it.
Psalms 46:10 from a few different Bible versions, (MSG) “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God” from (NASB) “Cease Striving and know that I am God” from (ESV) “Be still, and know that I am God” and Hebrews 4:10-11 “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
So in this season of hustle and bustle, where there are non-stop activities and opportunities calling for my time and attention, can I choose to step away, even if just for a moment, even for only a breath? If the reason for the season is that Jesus came to us in human form to be with us, can I choose to find time to be with Him? Can I be intentional about finding a rhythm of rest? To create appropriate boundaries, to say “no” at times, to instead go to my heavenly Father in a posture of obedience and dependence when I need to be refreshed and trust that the source of living water may have something for me that will give me exactly what I need! I invite you to ask yourself the same, what could a rhythm of rest look like in your realm? Can you take the risk to try it and see if things may shift, if the quality of your “soil” improves? Maybe start with 1% of your time, He is always available and waiting. As a follower of Jesus, His example of a lifestyle with rhythms of rest, is one that I will choose to follow.
———————
Here are a few resources that may aid in setting up rhythms of rest in your life:
The Pause App by Wild at Heart ministries
Book: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Book: An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling
Book: The Life You Long For by Christy Nockels
Book: Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton
Setting alarms on your phone several times a day to step into rest
Day by Day Devotionals by Peter Scazzero (includes intentional practice of silence)
Centering Prayer