If a manual on 3 easy steps to free us from tiredness, stress and chaos were available, it’d sell out – fast. After all, we live in a culture of overdrive, and everyone is too busy, right?
Over the week, many of you have asked great questions like “What do you do on a rest day?,” “How does your rest day look like?”, “Can I meet friends on a rest day, even if I feel unrested after that?”
To answer that question, I’d like to share an excerpt from Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller with you-
“Idealism is the thief of Sabbath… sabbath isn’t about resting perfectly. It’s about resting in the One who is perfect. A Sabbath heart asks, “Am I willing to let go of whatever God is asking me to shed?”
The truth is- rest requires intention, commitment and discipline. But it will not look the same for two of us.
To one, meeting people might be a great source of refreshment. For another, it may be a source of stress. For some, a break from social media or exercise a day a week could do wonders for balance, but for another it could make no difference.
For a mother with a newborn or newly-minted house officer on-call, genuine Sabbath may look like talking to God while grabbing shut-eye on a nursing chair, or a luxurious half-hour lull in a doctor’s pantry.
Yet, for another, even days of languishing on a beach resort may be far from a Sabbath heart, if it’s simply turned towards a human lust for more. Likewise, false piety with a religious sticking-to-rules like “no meeting friends” and “nothing delicious” can drain the heart of Sabbath- which was meant to re-align our delight in God.
Rest isn’t meant to be boring. It doesn’t mean just praying or lying in bed. Sabbath is the day we let go of the pulsating rhythms of overdrive to re-orient our hearts back to the One who made us.
And the right kind of Rest, that we discover by trial and error with the only One who can lead us, helps us do just that. ✨