Husband. Dad to 5. Student Ministry Pastor. Follower of Jesus. Yatta yatta.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY

I don’t know what to say about rest… other than I should probably not be talking about it.

I do sleep… and I take naps. Sometimes people wonder if I do… but I do. Based on convos I have with people around me, I evidently need less rest than most to feel solid and energized.

But nonetheless, it is true too that I suck at rest. There, I said it. And since it’s 11:23pm and I have an early morning run tomorrow on my exercise plan, I’m gonna make this post brief before it becomes too self-prophetic or demoralizing.

I will also say that I have a strong aversion to laziness, and I think some have confused rest with apathy.  But for those who have not, I have a lot to learn from you… something I’m working on practically setting aside time for in the coming weeks as I enter this 39th year of my life.

Here’s my definition of rest I’m working on:

REST IS the refusal to keep moving without pausing to replenish both body and soul.

Are you good at rest?  For me, I think it is a rhythm, an additional rule of life per se, that I desperately need.  This, in my mind, is a baby step towards a true Sabbath… something I really have never practiced well.  I don’t say that with pride, but rather a fear that it is something I have missed for decades now.  Both rest and Sabbath are desperately needed in my life and I need to be very intentional about it.  I’m starting with saying no to some stuff and choosing to close my eyes and lay on the floor and do nothing in moments throughout my day.  I’m kinda digging the floor and grass and even the sidewalk outside my office in the warm sun these days.

I’m striving to lean into and learn what it means to honor God like this in one single block of time, slowing down to rest and enjoy God, not feed my own desire or the desires of others for more more more.  I’m learning. I evidently missed the nap time lesson in kindergarten.  I’m gonna try and make up for lost time in the next 3 months.

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