How are you at finding rest in your life?
We live in a world of fast-paced frenetic action.
We want what we want and we want it now. And we are driven to succeed, which means get things done, accumulate, accomplish and collect.
And it can all get a bit much and if we are not careful our body is likely to step in and slow things down for us.
Is it okay to take a break?
Perhaps one of the strangest stories in the Bible that we tend to skip past is the seventh day of Creation. Whether we are talking actual days, or metaphorical days, or whether you even believe the story or not, it is super interesting to see the choices made with regards to what happened on day 7.
Genesis chapter 2 right at the start of the Bible, begins with these words:
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.
So in this story we have the idea of a God who creates the earth and everything in it and then after six days of non stop action, He takes a break.
Does a God who can speak a Universe into being in a sentence even require a break? Or is it possible that this was God simply demonstrating a good example for us to follow?
Rhythms of stop and go
It may seem like a bit of an oxymoron, but the older I get the more I realise that you have to slow down to speed up. No-one can run on full power all the time without it suddenly taking you down at some stage.
If you do not put checks and balances in place to take care of a frenetic lifestyle then eventually your body will step in to slow you down and that might be catastrophic and can happen in a number of ways, most of them unpleasant.
The flu and colds are often a way of your body holding up a red flag, but in extreme cases it can arrive in the form of burnout, depression, panic attacks or even a heart attack.
What I have found most helpful is to work in some rhythms of rest as regular patterns within your normal week. Make spaces to slow down – get outside if you can, maybe go for a walk with a friend or spouse, take time to enjoy the slow creation of a meal, grab a book and a drink and find a comfortable spot and so on. If you are someone who journals then taking some time to stop and write things down can be an amazing life-giver.
How about you? What are some of the things you have found that help you personally to relax and regroup and just find more balance in your life? Share some ideas in the comments below.