The Busyness Lie & Proper Rest

How is your summer going?

Busy?

As my pastor noted this past Sunday, it doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in- whether you’re a teenager working this summer, a parent taking care of young children, a working adult, a retiree volunteering in your community, or someone care-giving for a loved one- busyness is all too easy to come by in our daily lives.

And there’s nothing wrong with being busy, but is rest going out the window with your busyness?

Creating space for genuine reflection, relaxation, and rest are important in functioning fully and healthily in our daily lives. We aren’t machines.

According to Rogers Behavioral Health, a lack of rest can result in impaired memory, a reduced ability to control emotions, feeling run down which can lead to illness or serious disease, brain fog or difficulty thinking, and increased feelings of anxiety or depression.

I’m sure many of us have experienced one or more of these symptoms when we’ve prioritized busyness over rest. Within Western society, many of us feel pressured to go-go-go. But we weren’t designed to live this way. We need both physical and mental rest from day-to-day life. While honoring God with our work is important, we also need to honor the Lord with how we take care of the bodies and the lives we’ve been given. God created rest for our benefit. Rest isn’t a “bad” thing.

Some of us have believed, or grew up with the lie modeled to us, that we were only worth something if we put in more work and more effort. Taking a break or rest was seen as laziness and taking time for yourself meant you were being selfish. Maybe some of us still get caught up in this lie. We believe what we produce or what we put out into the world makes us more valuable. But you are valuable not because of what you produce or the name you make for yourself, you are valuable because you are made in the image of God and you are loved by Him. You are a unique individual, and there is no one else exactly like you in the entire world, past or present. That’s amazing.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14 NIV

Looking to Jesus’ example, He knew the importance of rest and taking time away from people and the demands of this world. He intentionally spent time in silence and chose to go away and pray, listening to the voice of God. Jesus modeled for us how rest and recuperation are necessary to do the work God has called us to do.

Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he (Jesus) said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Mark 6:31 NIV

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:16 NIV

There’s also the fact that some of us are afraid to have those empty minutes, hours, or days on our calendar. We’re afraid of missing out or we just don’t like the feelings that come up when we’re alone with no distractions. Busyness has become an addiction. It distracts us from addressing our own sins or past wounds that we refuse to address or turn over the Lord for true healing. Instead of resting in the Lord, we turn to people, activities, work, or obligations to derail us from that uncomfortable silence and the feelings that come up in it. It’s often in those times of quiet that God is directing us to address those wounded places or sinful habits that we’ve covered up with distractions for so long. He wants us to turn to Him to break through those toxic habits and to heal those broken wounds that have been growing and can physically and mentally affect our well-beings. But it takes guidance from the Holy Spirit and intentionally turning to the Lord for growth and healing to take place in our hearts and minds.

And yes, distractions are important in different seasons of life (I can attest to this during my time of grief after my dad passed away), but too many distractions can also tear us away from what really matters. True peace and true rest can only come through seeking the Lord. And that means intentionally slowing down and seeking Him throughout our day.

Even on the busiest travel or work days, we can still mentally take the time to acknowledge the Lord and seek Him for peace and rest amidst the chaos. Even just saying His name, “Jesus”, mentally brings us back to a place of acknowledging that Jesus is our ultimate peace. And His peace is not like what the world offers. His peace reigns amid the chaos because it’s an inner peace that’s beyond our understanding. And on those quieter days and moments, we can accept the invitation to spend more time in God’s Word, coming to Him in repentance and worship.

God is inviting us into rest with Him each day. And while the work and stresses for each day may look different, we can turn to Jesus as our ultimate peace.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:7 NIV

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Additional Rest & Boundaries Resources:

Feeling overwhelmed and stretched this summer? Check out Dr. Alison Cook’s “The Best of You” Podcast episode 165: Reboot Your Boundaries

Needing to pinpoint your needed areas of rest in your life? Check out Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith’s book, “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity” Side note, I got to listen to Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith at the Write-to-Publish conference, she is a fantastic speaker and encourager!

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Hello, friends. Thanks so much for stopping by. I’ve been writing intermittently this summer with my kids at home, but I’m so happy to be making steady progress on my book. It’s been such a blessing to find those times throughout the summer to write!

Please continue to pray for me on this book writing journey. If you’re not subscribed, be sure to support me and my writing by subscribing. Follow me on Instagram: @AmberJohnsonFishFullLife.

God bless! Keep seeking the Lord in your health and relationships!

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Photo by José Martín Ramírez Carrasco on Unsplash