3 Ways to Experience Holy Rest
One of the things we all seem to need constantly is rest.
Right now, the popular cry of culture is self-care, and there is absolutely value in learning what it means to pay attention to our bodies and to set healthy boundaries. But it seems that the majority of us are still missing the mark when it comes to finding rest. Or at least the kind of rest that feeds our souls and leaves us feeling refreshed.
I’d be willing to be a large part of that is due to the fact that we’re looking for rest in all the wrong places. We’re binging Netflix at night, treating ourselves to spa days, traveling anywhere and everywhere, and scrolling through social media. While those things all have a place and aren’t inherently bad, they don’t give us true rest.
Instead, we sit at the feet of Jesus.
If you’re like me, though, you have a hard time with this. What does it look like to sit at the feet of Jesus? How do I turn off my mind to just sit? How do I find the time? These are all questions I ask myself when I’m feeling weary because sitting at the feet of Jesus - resting - is a learned practice.
Make intentional time to sit with Jesus.
Right after college, I served as a Campus Missionary Intern with a collegiate student ministry. It was a demanding and draining job. I felt like I was always being pulled in a million different directions from the time my feet hit the floor before the sun peaked over the horizon until my head touched the pillow hours after dark. I expressed this to my director at the time, and he challenged me to block off an hour of time each day in my schedule. I was reluctant because I felt like that was time I could be spending catching up on some work or meeting with the leadership team or any number of things.
But I did it.
I intentionally set aside time in my calendar each day to spend time with Jesus. It was on the calendar, so it was seen as an appointment that I couldn’t miss. If something came up at that time, I had a scheduling conflict. This helped me to protect my time and to be intentional to spend time sitting with the Lord.
There wasn’t a formula to our time together. Some days, I prayed. Other days, I read Scripture. Still others, I journaled. A lot of days, it was all of the above. It was a time that anchored me to God and provided energy for the remainder of the day.
Be willing to say “No.”
As Christians, we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We are called to help those in need, give freely, and steward the gifts God has entrusted to us. But the fact is that because of that, we often feel an obligation to do all the things for all the people. We think it makes us “bad Christians” to say no. The truth is: saying “No” allows us to show up as better stewards and friends in the places God has specifically called us, and in the process we are refreshed.
In Lysa TerKuerst’s book The Best Yes, she talks about the idea that we need to evaluate our time, energy, spiritual, and emotional reserves before saying yes to something because not every assignment is our assignment. She also explains that while we may be saying “No” to a good thing, that good thing takes away from something else as it diverts our attention.
While we don’t want to say “No” simply to avoid something we don’t want to do, we also want to be sure that we are prioritizing the things God has specifically called us to. We want to ensure that we are stewarding our gifts, talents, abilities, and resources in a way that serves Him well rather than in a way that assuages our need to be seen as a “good Christian.”
If we can learn to say “No” to assignments that aren’t ours, we can allow others to serve the Church as well as prioritize rest because we aren’t wasting our resources.
Control the controllable.
A lot the rest we miss out on is due to our lives being consumed with a constant undertone of anxiety. Truly, I sit around feeling guilt for what I’m not doing or worrying about things that have no bearing on my life right now or things that I can’t even control. Our desire for control robs us of rest. Our ultimate mode of operation should look like working in conjunction with God to do our part and let Him do His.
This is not to say that we just sit around and hope for the best, ignorant to the world around us. We should absolutely be informed and we should absolutely do our part when it comes to what God is asking of us. That might look like voting, exercising, being involved in organizations, serving at our churches or any number of things. But it should not look like sitting around fretting.
There are so many things outside of our control that we waste our energy on instead of doing our part and handing the rest of it to God. He is worthy of our trust, and we have to stop hoarding it for some illusion of control. It’s a lot of work that only creates anxiety, not rest.
Our rest comes from a conscience decision to honor the Lord with our thoughts, our time, and our talents. While this might be a learned practice, it’s a gift to find real rest that refuels us.