Restless to RestFUL(L)

What does rest mean? 

Rest (n.): 

a. freedom from activity or labor 

b. a state of motionlessness or inactivity 

I think that these are the definitions we think of most when we hear the word “rest.” This is what our society has taught us. We forget that there is more to it. Here are a few more definitions that I think are important to remember. 

Rest: 

a. a peace of mind or spirit (n.) 

b. to be free from anxiety or disturbance (v.) 

I am horrible at resting. I am really really good at sleeping, but horrible at resting. You may be thinking, how is that possible? Aren’t rest and sleep the same thing? I have been learning that they actually are not; this has been really hard for me. 

As humans who have nine to five jobs or go to school from eight to four and then have sports practices to go to, meetings to attend, meals to cook, laundry to clean, children to take care of, places to go, and things to do, we often forget that we so desperately need rest. Rest doesn’t just mean going to sleep at night. Yes sleep is important, but so is rest. Arguably as I’m learning on the Race, rest is a lot more important. 

As humans we have actually been created to need a day of rest and to find time to rest each day. It is a fundamental part of our nature, but we are never really taught anything about it. God actually created us to need rest.

I really struggled with this concept in the first few weeks of being on the Race. At home, I am rarely at home. I love to be on the go, always doing things and going from one thing to the next. I spent the months leading up to the Race running from one thing to the next and I rarely even paused for a second to catch my breath and hit the reset button. So coming to Cambodia, I wasn’t really for the idea of resting. I wanted to be out helping people, talking to people, exploring the markets and adventuring around Battambang. I wasn’t for the idea of sitting and learning to rest at all. I viewed it as just doing nothing, which is something I hate doing. When we had specific times to rest, I found myself feeling very homesick, so it was even easier for me to want to continue running around all over the place and to not just sit and be. To not just sit and be in the presence of the Lord. I really struggled with this. But of course our leadership team saw that we were all actually really exhausted from running around and desperately needed to rest, especially since we were getting sick and coming home for lunch in the middle of the day and passing out in the middle of the floor in our living space (totally normal thing on the Race btw). So they created a few days for us in which we were required to rest. 

We weren’t allowed to leave the house and go into the city. It was really hard for me, especially since I did’t want to slow down because when I did, I missed home too much. But I decided to try it since they repeatedly expressed how important it is. I guess I got the message after they kept repeating the message. 

So what does it actually look like to rest? 

I’ve learned that it looks different for each person, and even from day to day. Sometimes rest looks like physically laying down and listening to music. Sometimes it looks like journaling and writing. Sometimes it looks like sitting and having a one on one conversation with someone. Sometimes it looks like spending time in a coffee shop and inputting receipts for my team. Sometimes it looks like going for a run. Sometimes it looks like doing my laundry or cleaning up our room. Sometimes it looks like sitting on the roof and taking in all there is to see. Sometimes it looks like reading my Bible or a book. Rest looks very different for me and for everyone else too. It is not just one set thing. We can find rest in different things every day. 

Today I would encourage you to take a moment to just be. To sit in peace of mind and to be free from the distractions of the world. Maybe you’ll struggle with it a little bit too, but know that you can always come and sit at the feet of the Father and find rest in Him. He is rest and He always knows what you need in order to find rest. If the idea of rest makes you really uneasy like it did me, ask the Father how you can rest in His presence. I often find myself asking how I can rest with Him since I am still not very good at being intentional with time for rest. But it’s okay! Learning to rest is a process, but it is a process that is so worth it. I have already noticed that when I rest, I feel so much more refreshed and ready to embrace the business of life again. Instead of just going through the motions of life, like it is easy to do, I am actually able to dive in and engage with people and everything going on around me. It helps me to turn my gaze back to God and have Him fill me up.