Resting in Hustle Culture
If you’re like me, resting and waiting around for things is not your forte. I start to feel anxious and like I need to be working on something or always be on the go. It’s hard resting in hustle culture. Some of the motivational videos out there are all about waking up extremely early and going to bed extremely late. You’re told to go go go, when Jesus modeled slow slow slow.
Exchange your worries for rest
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11;28-29
Rest can be defined as peace, ease, or refreshment. In the above verse, Jesus, is saying come to me with your burdens and I will give you rest. We also know that Jesus Christ is the prince of peace. So in exchange for laying our burdens/ worries before him, we will gain his unexplainable peace.
During Jesus’ time here He was often interrupted, but He was fully present with compassion. Think of the times people or events haven’t followed the schedule you had planned- how did you react? How did it make you feel?
Do You feel Guilty for Resting?
It’s so hard to not feel guilty for “resting” with the hustle culture that we live in today. Maybe we have fears of running out of time, wasting time, or just the idea of scarcity all together. When we pull ourselves back to truth, the word of God- We know that when we ask God for his will in our lives and bring our request before him, we will never be late for anything.
His timing is perfect. He will never give us anything too early or late because He loves us too much. It can be hard to surrender that timeline we have written up over to God- And to be transparent, that is something I still struggle with in certain areas of my life, so I understand your hesitancy.
WHEN AMBITION AND REST Collide
I am big dreamer and think you can achieve anything you put your mind to and perhaps you are that way too. Part of being a dreamer, is no matter what your current circumstance looks like you can disassociate in a way that allows you adapt a mindset to keep going- because you know what’s to come.
In my small group last week, we actually had an assignment of practicing and diving into rest. We had an activity to pick one thing that would be attainable, but challenging on this list. I chose to take a nap. For some people that comes easy, but for me it’s extremely hard, because I begin tapping into the fear of running out of/ wasting time. This became obvious to me when I scheduled “take a nap” in my planner on a Monday and had drawn an arrow everyday until we hit Sunday (when we meet for group) and I still had not taken the nap…
Being ambitious has its perks, but it can also lead to neglecting rest. I fall into the habit of thinking so far into the future that it’s hard for me to take things day by day, and maybe you struggle with that too. Friends, God calls us to a life where we prioritize rest. Not only should we prioritize rest, but we should focus on the day not the month or the year.
We are called to live for today and not for tomorrow. We shouldn’t worry about tomorrow because today has enough troubles and blessings to focus on. When Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, especially verse 10- He says,
“Give us today our DAILY bread.”
Matthew 6:10
He does not say give us what we need and list off every day of the month. His focus is on today. That’s a truth I believe we need to rest in. God will take care of us, He is not a “do nothing God” and He does not lie.
Our ability to rest reveals our trust in god
I tend to neglect rest because I think achieving something solely relies on me, my work ethic, or power, but it doesn’t. I’m learning we can take that day off even if the rest of the world refuses because we have trust and faith in who God is. We know that He is working when we are resting. That ability to take the day off or find moments in your day to take a 20 minute nap is us trusting God and realizing what we are able to do is more about his work through us than just us.
So while society makes us feel bad for resting, remember God advises us to rest. It’s so important that it’s actually one of the ten commandments. In Genesis, God reserved the seventh day for rest after He spent six days creating the world. Our creator even needed a day of rest and we are created in his image.
Friends, rest in the truth of God and allow his peace to fill your hearts and minds. Rest is necessary, even if the rest of the world frowns upon it.
xx, Em
*I have been a little MIA because I’ve been practicing taking things slow and resting this week. I’m trying to learn the balance of work and rest. I would love to hear your opinions on this topic. Do you struggle with rest, how are you going to start implementing it, and do you have any tips for balancing work and rest? Let us know down below 🙂
