Teach us how to rest, Jesus

Simple musings on His rhythm vs ours. A heartfelt prayer for us to align back to His perfect design.

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Genesis 2:2-3

Podgora, Croatia 2022

Long cold dips in blue oceans, novel reads, hammock swings, dinners cooked under the stars on the camping stove, nights spent sleeping in tends, slow mornings, mid afternoon naps under the pine trees, fresh peaches eaten by the rocks on the shore. I still remember those beautiful, slow, summer days, where on vacation, my parents would allow themselves to pause. To be. Oh, how I miss those very days. Where I too, not only was I encouraged to play, read and swim, but I was modelled rest. Days where timelines didn’t exist, schedules were not in place, only spaciousness was.

My parents didn’t know Jesus, and probably had never even heard of the concept of “Sabbath”. Yet, somehow, they understood that rest was vital. Unwinding from responsibilities, work and deadlines, needed to take place for their lives to be balanced. For their minds to be clearer and for priorities to be recognised.

Somewhere in the mid 2000’s things changed. I became a teenager, my parents parted ways and long summer vacations became what felt like long distant memories. I slowly became attracted to independence, and began living a life that was far away from the values I had been taught. Rebellion became my second nature and wholesomeness didn’t seem to interest me anymore. Yet, in me, a longing for a life lived in peace and harmony remained.

It wasn’t until Jesus began clearing out the idols in my heart, that I started to become aware of that very longing afresh. I remember being back in Europe, during a visit back home, when my dad and I travelled through Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro, that I started day dreaming of creating a wholesome life again. There is truly something special about making memories with loved ones, guided by the simple delight of being in each other’s presence, while tending to the little activities that bring us joy.

When I ponder over the most precious times of my life, those times that truly were a gift to me, the times that marked my existence, I can’t help it but think about their rhythm. The quality of my presence and therefore the ability to absorb what was being offered to me.

Whether in summer, winter, autumn or spring, my spirit has always longed for slowness, my body rest and my mind to be refreshed. It is what I naturally tend to seek. After long days at work, or long hours spent studying at the computer, all I look forward to is creating pockets of stillness during the weekend. Moments spent in nature, alone or in the company of someone I love, walking in the sun with the fresh breeze softly touching my skin, reflecting, pausing, absorbing. Slow mornings spent in bed reading, when outside is crisp, and under the doona feels heavenly. Afternoons made of baking cookies and drinking teas. Or evenings spent eating in the backyard under the summer moonlight.

I long for a life lived at a rhythm that feels natural to my body, that allows my nervous system to be regulated, for homeostasis to be in place and for joy to be experienced in the mundane things of life. I long for simplicity.

But why, at times, do I still find it hard to accept that I need rest? Why is it still challenging to carve out time for it, where guilt and shame have no hold of me? It seems as though a deep need of doing is interwoven into the make up of my being. As if it can’t be truly shaken off. Often prevailing over the spirit-felt-nudge to pause and be. As if the outcome of rest doesn’t seem to be enough for me to seek it diligently.

Someone I know, recently asked me: “Why, if you love the Lord the way you say you do, and pursue to obey His commandments the way you do, you don’t observe the Sabbath the way He encourages us to?”

Now, my point is not to have a theological debate with you on whether the Lord Himself should be our place of rest or whether from sun down to sun down on a Friday/Saturday our active life should to be put on pause. My theology is still little and quite limited - but, the intention I have is indeed to begin exploring, within myself, what the concept of “Sabbath” means to me. And most importantly what I perceive the Lord is wanting me to see through it.

So here is my little internal monolog.

Are there, perhaps, two ways in which the Lord is calling us to rest, that are somehow interwoven with each others and may overlap? To prioritise rest among the daily tasks of life, and also to seek a place of spiritual rest free of striving, pushing and trying to micromanage the outcomes of life.

Can we allow ourselves to move through life as we breath in and out His peace? Are we willing to trust that His love for us goes beyond our capacity to succeed? Can we remember that His plan for us can’t be ceased: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

So, I say…

May the pause happen daily: between one email and the next one, or as we wind down after a long day of work. Weekly: as we allow our to-do-lists and timelines to be dropped over the weekend, as we reset and recharge to begin it all, all over again. Biannually or yearly: as we pause for longer times, where we allow for a slower rhythm to take place, maybe being in a different town or country, maybe as we simply take time to sleep in and eat outside, in the garden surrounded by birds chirping.

May the pause also happen when we feel the need to push, to control and manipulate, to make it happen according to our own idea of how things should be. May we catch ourselves in the moment when our heart hardens so we begin to move faster, react or withdraw. May we take a breath and ask ourselves: “What am I fearing right now?”, “Where am I not trusting?”. And, as the answers arise, may we take a moment to remember what Scripture says about it all. May we find ourselves thirstier and thirstier for the Word of God, that has the power to wash over and renew our limited minds.

May we take a deep breath, to finally exhale, to arrive. To free ourselves from the burden of achieving. To be able to walk, slowly, admiring and taking in the beauty of His creation. Deeply appreciating what we have been gifted, rejoicing in gratitude for all He is, and has done for us.

May we ponder over and find reassurance in these beautiful Scriptures:

Paul reminds us that: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:3-4

Jesus Himself said to His disciple: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent” Luke 11:11 and “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Matthew 6:25-27

And lastly, Paul encourages us: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

So, despite what my thoughts may, at times, have me believe, I stand on my deepest desire: to follow His blueprint and rhythm for my life. He is the one who designed me, knitted me together, and who knows what I need (even before I realise such needs). I believe His utter longing is to show me, teach me and offer me what is best for me. Such yearning is so profound that He is willing to see me ache, wrestle while being confused, in order for me to come to realise: His ways are higher than mine. My trust needs to be placed in Him, not in myself.

This type of love, His love, is just unfathomable to me. So here I am, as I try to rest in Him. Knowing that His word is true and there is nothing I need to fear: I am in good hands. And so are you.