We struggle, most all of us, to get enough rest in our lives. The activities of our days can take up all of the space in our schedules, and in our minds and hearts. We plan, we execute, we do it all again. Day after day, week after month after year.
There is so much right and good about the flurry of moving ahead, getting it done, being productive. Yet this push to “do” is often at the expense of the very real need every human has for rest. As people of faith, rest is significant not just in the physical realm but also and perhaps above all, in the spiritual realm.
Jesus inspires us to rest. He frequently found rest; he took himself out of the intensity of his own days and the activities that were fulfilling His mission as the Son of God. His solitude and silence are recurring themes in the Gospels; in rest—and through rest in intimacy with God—Jesus found the source of His power, wisdom, and compassion. The Gospels tell us that Jesus frequently withdrew; He “went out to the mountainside by himself,” “went out and sat by the lake,” “withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place,” again and again, in prayer and reflection to be still, silent, present, and allow God to work in Him. The disciples often followed, or when they saw Him again, asked that Jesus teach them to do the same.
We too can follow Christ’s lead in setting ourselves apart for our own good and ultimately the good of those we love. We do this thoughtfully when we are careful, consistent, and joyful with that time apart. Finding rest must be formed as a habit, like anything else we want and need to do regularly. Ironically, rest might need to be scheduled to become habit forming! To take rest with maximum benefit to our bodies, minds, and souls, rest can be approached the same way we go after other aspects of our lives that are essential and good for us.
In the morning or day before, we train the mind to plan for when we’ll rest in God next. This can be prayer time but also just quiet time, off the devices and television and to-do list. The results? Like Jesus: Renewed power, wisdom and compassion in our lives.
Because so many were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’