The Discipline of Rest

In today’s harried and fast-paced world, rest seems to be that elusive thing that everyone wants and few find. Some of us even pride ourselves on how hard we work and the lack of rest along the way.

As I write this, I admit that I am one of those. I was inspired to write this article after hearing a message about rest from a fellow pastor named Jeff Henderson. I am one of those people who values hard work and needs to be challenged to rest.
I’ve heard it said that life is a marathon - pace yourself. I see it more as a series of sprints. By sprint I mean an intense season of work accomplishment. The challenge is to discipline ourselves to include breaks between the sprints. Otherwise, one sprint leads to another and then another and pretty soon you are running on empty.

Have you ever noticed in the Bible that Jesus was never in a hurry? As a matter of fact, Jesus would often remove himself from people right after he had accomplished something incredible. Today, we would say, “seize the moment and ride the wave of momentum!”

Jesus didn’t do that. He did just the opposite. He pulled back and practiced the discipline of rest. One such moment was when he preached to a large crowd of people on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where 5,000 people gathered to hear his words. After speaking and healing the sick, he fed them - this was the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 - but what oftentimes gets missed is what he did next: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”

Jesus understood the importance of rest. Although he was fully God, he also felt the limitations of a human body. He needed to get recharged for the next sprint.

Of all the disciplines mentioned in the Bible, I think the discipline of rest may be the most ignored. God modeled it for us through creation by resting on the seventh day. Was he tired? I don’t think so. He wanted to establish a pattern for living right from the beginning. Think about it, he didn’t even have to create a seventh day. He gave us this day so we could rest.
Like me, you’ve probably heard people say, “I’d rather burn out than rust out.” Well, who says that it has to be either of those extreme choices? I believe that God wants a replenished, energized you. You are at your best when you are rested. The discipline of rest should be treated as just as important as other spiritual disciplines - like prayer, fasting, giving, Bible reading and so on.

Resting doesn’t necessarily mean sitting and doing nothing, unless that is what you want to do. It could mean enjoying your favorite activity. It means doing something that feeds your soul. Take the challenge. Practice the disciple of rest. You’ll be better for it.

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.

*This column was featured in the Peoria Times - click here