Cease
Be still
Rest
Rest-- true, revitalizing, refreshing, energizing rest-- is hard. My pattern is to work, to aim for perfection, to complete everything quickly and well. This includes thinking about whatever task I haven't finished when I'm trying to rest. I have the tendency to buckle down, grin and bear it, and work even when I have nothing left. As I adjust to my new life in Bulgaria, I've been challenged to consider what resting actually is and how I can rest in a way that brings refreshment and energy for the things ahead of me. The Well gave me the time (kind of) to research this topic. Ironically, the times at the beginning of the summer when I was free to research were usually the times I took naps!
My goals were to understand what rest looks like from a Biblical perspective and how that could be practically applied to my life now. I wanted to look at rest in the context of the gospel story, from creation and fall to redemption and glorification. In each of these areas of God's story, rest is included.
The Story
After the fall, when the relationship with God was broken, rest was broken, too. Instead of seeking rest from God, we habitually seek to find our rest in things that do not really satisfy. We often view resting as an escape from reality rather than the intentional time devoted to refocus our lives on how God defines reality. We either idolize or ignore rest, yet we miss the whole point of rest--being at peace with God, without fear of attack or lack, and spending time with God and our fellow brothers and sisters. We also idolize work, thinking that we should spend all of our time and energy doing--we view work as our way to prove ourselves, instead of resting in the promises of God to provide for us. Our ability to truly rest is broken.
Jesus preached a message of restored rest--our relationship with God finds its restoration in Jesus. Here is what he offered to those who either base their identity on doing or who long for the rest that truly satisfies:
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Of course, we live in a broken world still, and are broken people We struggle with actual rest because we must prepare for it, we must plan rest into our schedules and not give in when we think we are finding satisfying rest in things that actually drain us. But in Jesus, we have the option to seek for the revitalizing, refreshing rest found in God.
God has promised rest to His people. Hebrews 4 talks about how God has promised rest to those who believe in him--eternal rest in heaven. This is good news, because we have hope of a future where we rest the way God created us to rest--by being in a perfect relationship with Him. We will no longer need night (does this mean no more sleep?!) because we will be with Him!
Practical Application
In an article ("Wisdom and Sabbath Rest") that I found the most challenging in my understanding of rest, Tim Keller writes that we need three types of rest: contemplative, recreational, and aesthetic. I have discovered that the only way I seek rest is recreational rest--watching TV or reading a book--and that I rarely practice contemplative or aesthetic rest. Recreational rest is one of three kinds, and it is not the most significant source of rest but the least. In part, I wonder if this is tied to the fact that watching TV or reading a book involves processing new information, which is not really a restful activity. My mom pointed out that part of keeping the Sabbath is reflecting (remembering) on the ways God has worked. Reflection is not processing new information, but reminding ourselves of known information--a far more restful activity.
One of my favorite quotes from this article points to the significance of contemplative rest:
"God did not just cease from his labor; he stopped and enjoyed what he had made. What does this mean for us? We need to stop to enjoy God, to enjoy his creation, to enjoy the fruits of our labor. The whole point of Sabbath is joy in what God has done."
Another new idea to me was how rest is associated with stewardship. God has given us dominion over creation (Gen 2:15-17) which includes ourselves! We are called to rest as a reminder that all things, including how we spend our time are under God's command, not our own. In the same article I mentioned before, Keller talks about how God's calling to dedicate one whole day out of 7 to cease from our work (and one year out of seven -- Leviticus 25) is a call to limit our productivity for the purpose of strengthening our faith. As followers of God, our stewardship of our time is at odds with our culture. In a world that wants the next raise, the rise to the top of power, completion of as many tasks as possible, taking purposeful times of rest and being willing to forego a rapid rise to wealth and ease is different. Decreasing our goals for the week, month and year, being okay with not having as many accomplishments as those around us reminds us that we are not slaves to work, but are free in Christ.
Further Study
- Is burnout always a bad thing? If not, when is it not? Is burnout disobedience to stewarding our time?
- How does rest relate to the life of ministry? Pastors and missionaries often have a 24/7 job, so how does the Bible's teaching on rest relate to their lives?