In Need of Rest
I exercise in my home and I love that because I control what is on my television when I’m working out. For those of you who go to a gym, you get what I’m saying here. There is always something on the television that does not interest you, but you have no say-so. This one hour that I work out is the only chance I get all day to choose what I want to watch, so I take advantage of it.
The other day while I was watching one of my shows and exercising, I felt a sense of urgency that I was not doing enough. Every character on the show lived a perfect and very full life. One character is married, has a daughter in college, owns a bed and breakfast by herself, owns a gift shop, and still has plenty of time to have long lunches with friends, day dates with her husband, and reading time in front of the fire or out in her garden. She is never rushed and never overwhelmed. Her husband is a surgeon and is head of surgery at the hospital, and somehow he is rarely at work. We all know that is completely unrealistic. I’ll describe one more character for you. She is mayor of their little town and she has all the time in the world to sit at the Bistro, shop, sip coffee and eat pastries.
As I watched this, it actually crossed my mind that I’m not doing enough. They can juggle all of their careers and roles in life without even so much as a blink of an eye. How come I am stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious when I am a stay at home mom, write for fun, and attend Bible study? How come I can’t manage more in life?
This is exactly what the world wants us to think. The world wants us to think we are never enough. We never have enough to do on our calendars, we never have enough money, we never have the right trendy clothing, our faces are never smooth enough, and if we sit down and enjoy a sunny afternoon reading a book, we are lazy. We live in a world that goes, goes, goes. Busy is our mantra.
Well, I hit a wall and decided I can’t live a busy life anymore and that is my goal for this Lenten season. I am going to let go of the feeling of always needing to do something productive so that I have a sense of accomplishment. When I fill my life with busy work all day long, I have no time to rest in God’s presence, enjoy sitting in the floor playing with my kids, or sipping on a glass of wine with my husband as we watch the sun set. Instead, I forget about meeting my friends for lunch, or yell at my kids because they want me to play with them instead of rushing to get something done. I tell Jesus that I’m going to have to cut my prayer short because I have an errand that needs to be run, and I see any work of service as a job and I think I need a pat on the back for doing it.
In Mark 6, Jesus’ disciples were continuously working and serving others. They were teaching, assisting Jesus in healings, and people were coming and going constantly. They did not even make time to eat because they were so busy. (How many of you can relate to that?) Jesus saw that they needed some downtime. He tells them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Not only does Jesus get the fact that we get run down, He needed rest Himself, but He also desires us to rest with Him. As I said before, when we fill our days with errands, chores, all the things we need to do; we put Jesus on the back burner. When we rest with Jesus, we get fueled to continue on. He fills us in a way nothing else can.
When I realized I needed to rest this Lenten season, it occurred to me that not only do I need rest physically, but I need rest mentally. The vision for my writing and studying God’s Word has gotten skewed. I was doing it for myself instead of for God. I needed to come back to the reason for doing what I do, and that is because God called me to do it. I was focused on my plan instead of His.
Seasons of rest are good things for our souls. Jesus uses this time to fill us with peace and joy. He uses it to talk to us because we can finally listen to Him. He uses it to remind us what the goal is, and that is to follow Him and allow Him to lead us according to His will.
Spring is a busy time, especially for parents. There’s soccer, baseball, graduations, proms, dance recitals, cheerleading competitions, golf, and every other sport you could imagine. We’re wrapping up Bible studies while most corporate offices are working on budgets, and many other deadlines to reach. Don’t feel guilty if you need a season of rest. God calls each of us to retreat and rest when He knows we need it. He calls us to teach, serve, lead, learn, and even to rest.
Digging Deeper:
Reflect on yourself. If you feel a sense of urgency right now, what is causing it?
How can God lead you into a time of rest?
How do you need God to speak to you in this rest time?
What do you need to let go of that is your driving force for staying busy?