Why is rest still so difficult?

This past weekend, a new friend graciously let our family use his beach condo. I packed, planned and bought the food, grateful to be able to get away but not expecting it to be the gift that it was. The condo was comfortable, clean, and had everything we needed for the four days. The sound of the waves, view of the beach and cool breeze was calming and refreshing. But the rest was life changing.

I don’t often rest. Too many things come up when I try.  My mind won’t turn off from all the things I need to think through. The list of tasks waiting to be accomplished is long. Sometimes I feel guilty when I rest. Afterall, I get at least 8 hours of sleep at night. How much more time is ok to spend laying around? Often, when I know I need rest, the things I turn to to find it, aren’t restful. Fiction books, movies, binging Netflix, or even sleep at night prove that rest can be elusive.

So what is rest? Webster defines it as refreshing quiet or repose of sleep; refreshing ease or inactivity; relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles or disturbs; mental or spiritual calm. I like that last one, mental or spiritual calm. To be at rest, whether sleeping or awake, whether working or Sabbathing, the deep rest we long for means peace. Rest is our hearts, minds, bodies and souls experiencing a deep peace. A peace that only comes from trusting God.

We know God is trustworthy. We have experienced his faithfulness over and over again. Maybe not in ways we were expecting but His sovereignty, goodness and kindness are seen in our lives daily in big and small ways. Hindsight is even more of a clarifier of His faithfulness. He is trustworthy, so why is rest still so difficult to come by?

I mentioned in my last post that I am a chronic over-reacher. I reach and try to control what isn’t mine to control. When I’m reaching into what only God can control, I create stress for myself and others. On the other hand, when  I shrink back and don’t step into what is mine to do, I am self focused and fearful, creating angst because of my procrastination.  But when I can rest, get God in focus, and ask for His help and guidance, I find peace, courage and am often surprised at how He has been working all along!

Bringing me back to this weekend at the beach. As my body was able to rest, take walks, sit on the deck and just breath, continue to read through and study the book of Romans, pray, laugh, talk and be with my family, do some fun things we don’t normally do, I felt myself relax.  My body, my mind and my emotions were able to pause from the normal To Do List.  About a day into that rest, the Lord began to show me my heart. I had asked Him to show me some of the why in specific areas that I wasn’t experiencing rest or connection. He was faithful. I now have a list of soul needs and bents. Ways of thinking that in my human fallness, I am not like Him and need to change. Ways of living that have distanced me from my family and friends. Areas of ungratefulness and fear that keep me hemmed in and uptight.

The good news in all of this is I’m not left to myself. God is committed to us and to our rest! That is the best news of all! He is with us! He is with us in our strife and striving and is continually inviting us to rest in Him.

• Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.

• Matthew 11:28 Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

• Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Jesus comments on this commandment in Mark 2, The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.

What if these invitations to come and rest are meant to be rhythmic, life changing experiences for us? What if we won’t live a reflective, meaningful life without them? What if our Creator who knows us best is commanding what is best for us and those around us yet we are just too busy to listen?

As we rest, we reorient our hearts towards worship and trust in God’s sovereignty. We discover that He has been at work in and around us all along. We’ve just been too busy to see Him. As we rest, we find that we are able to remain whole in the various environments and shifting conditions of life because we have been with the One who is Peace.

So my calendar is open. I’m asking the Lord to show me where and how to put in some days of rest. To create in my life a rhythm of daily rest and delight. To create some yearly and monthly rhythms of stopping the work to purposefully let Him lead me to the green pastures and quiet waters. To let Him lead me to Himself.