Spiritual Practice: Rest

Our bodies need rest AND restoration. Our bodies need this rest physically, mentally, and spiritually. Parts of global culture has tried to offer this with a ‘weekend’ or ‘days off.’ You might have heard “Work to live, not live to work.” Yet in places where people need to have 2 or 3 jobs to pay for food and rent, this doesn’t work. And in some places the weekend means anything but rest: “Work Hard, Play Harder!” It is great to enjoy life, but I wonder if playing harder or working more actually satiates the longing within to be more than a cog or to belong to something more than a rat race or to be more human. I know many people who would love the gift of time in order to do more things. Yet I wonder what you would do with a gift of time to rest.

This gift of rest helps us gain perspective in life.  Jewish and Christian traditions have named this gift of weekly rest Sabbath. It encompasses more than an extra 15-minutes of sleep or space to catch up on laundry or cooking for the week. Sabbath can offer an understanding of holistic restoration and finding Deep Peace even amidst storms or busyness - even during times of harvest or taxes. This rest looks different for different people. It can mean reading or sharing a meal with others or meditating or walking in nature or visiting in a museum. Yet beyond just a thing or event, it can be a lifestyle of having rest. Yes, the point of the rest is Restoration, and it is about Reconnection. It provides an opportunity to reconnect with others, with self, and with God. Rest allows space for introspection. Rest allows space for relationships with others to be nurtured, healed, and restored. Rest allows for us to connect to a story that is bigger than our own lives - it allows us to see where we fit in the universe’s larger story. And if you name your journey as one of following God, Rest allows us time to remember we are loved, we are not alone, and that “earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal” and that “all matter of things shall be well.” I have practiced Sabbath for over 20 years, and its look has changed for me over time, yet I have observed it in war-zones, through seminary, with kids, with ministry changes. I’m not sure if this connects with you. I’m sure there are a ton of reasons why you may think this won’t work for you. Yet I wonder if you could try taking time in the coming weeks to build a few hours or a half a day into your schedule to look after your rest and restoration and reconnection.