How Can I Work if I Have Not Taken the Time to Rest?
Modern life can be chaotic, but finding moments of peace and rejuvenation is critical for our well-being. Today, I’m exploring the power of mindful rest and incorporating moments of calm into our busy lives. I am using a verse I have read often and heard people frequently use in passing to drive home the point that rest is essential so that we can continue to create and do other things in the future.
My friends and I get together for a small Bible study every Monday. We have been gathering virtually for the last four years. We come from different backgrounds, and we live in different parts of the United States, but we gather one day every week to catch up with each other and study the Bible.
This week, after our weekly catch-up, we began reading Genesis 2. This year, we are flipping back and forth between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I like Genesis 2 because it depicts how life was before the fall of man. At the very beginning of Genesis 2, the reader is reminded that God worked for seven days, He completed his work on the seventh day, and then He rested.
Readers must notice that rest was mentioned twice in verses two and three. Was rest so important to God that it had to be mentioned twice? The writer could have just said that God blessed His work in verse three, but they didn’t; they chose to emphasize to the reader that God worked hard for seven days, and then he rested.
It’s not lost on me that my life is filled with Black women who often don’t exercise rest because of the things we’ve been told. We must work twice as hard to be twice as good to get noticed, promoted, or respected. This mindset is not solely attached to my circle of friends, but it’s the reality of many Black women I’ve encountered.
The millennial generation, which I’m proud to be a part of, promotes rest now. We are tired of many things, but we are mostly sick and tired of being burnt out, overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. I look at my friends, and I see them hustling. They are working late, raising children, getting degrees, starting businesses, and so much more. We are doing it all.
But I often wonder if we are resting. I also wonder what our definition of rest is. I used to think rest meant getting eight hours of sleep every night. In God’s version of rest, he legitimately stopped doing until he was ready to do the next thing. We are constantly doing something. We are always going somewhere. We are always working, learning, talking, going, and doing. We never really slow down, and we hardly ever stop.
What if we choose a time every week when we are not doing anything? This time would be dedicated to resting and finding a place of solace, allowing us to rejuvenate our minds and bodies. Rest is not a sign of laziness, but it’s a commitment to self-care and inner work. Our world is complex and requires much from us, but we can cultivate a deeper appreciation for rest and quietness. I’m vowing to rest one day each week. I hope that you find a way to honor yourself by setting aside time for rest while you continue on your life journey.
