Rest, Part I

I don’t know how to rest.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I want to fill today’s schedule with all the things. I want to write impossible To Do Lists because lists are one of the only ways I can stay somewhat organized. I suddenly have the urge to clean.

And I hate to clean.

But that’s how I procrastinate things I should be doing. And this year, one of the things I’m supposed to be doing is learning to rest.

Resting is hard when you’re a smidge ADHD and you have this internal go-go-go hooked to your motor. Rest is also hard in a world that doesn’t.

We go 24/7/365, and then we wonder why we’re so sick and sad and feel like something is missing.

I have been in the 24/7/365. None of this comes from a place of judgment, just a place of learning and progress.

I have run so hard and so fast I forgot why I was running in the first place. I have gotten productivity confused with worth. I have twisted perfectionism into a little ball I carried around with me, ready to throw at anyone who couldn’t match my energy level.

Over the past few years, the Lord has been resetting my internal speedometer. He’s been inviting me to come sit with him beside still waters. He’s beckoned me to tarry—that’s such an old word but it really means linger. Savor. Stay a while.

So I linger over coffee at oh-dark-thirty as he and I converse. I savor those precious moments when I’m hauling a kid to practice or the library or to grab groceries. I’m learning to rest.

And in the rest, there’s a great resetting going on in my soul. I wish I could explain the kaleidoscope of colors that my once dingy soul now experiences when I allow myself to slow down and appreciate rest.

Rest is simple, but in this world it’s not easy.

It’s time-consuming to rest when there are a million things pulling at our attention. It’s hard to savor when the world tells us we should hustle and grind our way to the top.

But staying in one place, taking a moment—or several—is good for us. Jesus walked. He lingered over dinner with his friends. He got away alone.

He knew how to rest.

Today, wouldn’t it feel good to try some rest? Maybe try to quiet the noise of the world just for a bit and do absolutely nothing—no phone, no music, no tv or computer screens. Just you and your Maker, a cup of coffee, and some quiet conversation.

Give it a try. I’m right there with you, friend.