010 - Rest

Rest doesn’t come easily to me.

For being someone who complains all the time about how tired I am, you would think I would be better at seeking opportunities to rest. I always tell myself I’ll rest after I work, but with there always being one more appointment, one more task, one more thing that needs finishing, it seems the only time I have to rest is late at night when I finally collapse into bed, exhausted from a day of getting a whole lot done.

And to be honest, when the whole shut-down thing began, I thought I would have more of a chance to rest. I thought that without the hustle of everyday life, I would naturally slow down; without a lengthy list of places to go and things to do, I would just naturally have a more empty plate. Yet what I found is that I just tried to do more - I picked up new hobbies and started reading several books at once. I even bought a piano, thinking I would finally learn to play. In other words, when the world slowed down, I only sped up all the more.

And now the world is picking up its pace, and instead of matching that pace, I suddenly find myself speeding up - trying to do all the things I started doing when I was at home in addition to all the things I used to do before. It isn’t just my job that’s work; it’s all the stuff I’ve piled on top of it.

Maybe it’s the same for you. Maybe when times are calm and you have the opportunity to rest, your natural instinct is to instead work harder, get caught up, and plan ahead. While I could try to come up with some meaningful way to encourage you to rest, as someone who needs that reminder for myself, I think it would be better for us to look to Jesus and discover how He took time to rest before His work began.

One of my favorite passages is Mark 1:35-39 because it so profoundly addresses this balance between rest and work. As is often the case, Jesus strikes the perfect balance between two good things. See, work in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. Neither is rest. It’s when we allow these two good things to be at odds with one another instead of complementing one another that we start to lose sight of the life Jesus intended for us to have. So what does Jesus do? First, Jesus goes off by Himself. Although He was well aware of the needs of the people around Him, Jesus knew that He would only be effective at His work if He spent some time by Himself first. The Bible is full of examples about why community is important among believers. But there are also times when we just need to be by ourselves; away from the pressures to meet deadlines, perform a certain way, or even serve others. It is in these solitary moments that we can truly acknowledge every part of ourselves – fears, dreams, angers, burdens – and thus find true rest and the strength to take on life.

Second, Jesus prays. Though He is by Himself, He is not in complete isolation. Jesus knew the importance of remaining in relationship with His Father, even when He needed to take a break from the relationships He had with others. I can just imagine Jesus sitting peacefully on a hill, talking with God about His upcoming day and listening as God spoke words of affirmation and love over His Son, and I can only imagine how prepared Jesus felt to do His work after spending some time in restful prayer with God.

Finally, Jesus acknowledges what His purpose is. Only after He spends time alone, only after He prays does Jesus turn His face back toward the people who are waiting for Him and return to His mission. With so much cluttering up our to-do lists and our lives, it can be so easy to lose sight of our purpose. But as a daughter of the King of kings, there is something you are here to do that God has called you alone to. In taking time to rest, refresh, and renew yourself in the company of your King, you will be better able to face those who are waiting for you and return to your mission.

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Published in the 010 - August 11 issue of TuesdayTribe

Written by Hannah Hladek