{This post is part of my 31 Day blog series Work Hard + Rest Well: Learning Obedience in the Rhythms of Work and Rest.}
Work and Rest
It’s a cycle.
In so many ways.
Each day you work and rest in a million ways, often moving fluidly between one and the other without noticing the transition.
Each week you have days of work and a day or two of rest to cycle through again and again.
Each season of life cycles through the busy, working times and the slow, restful times.
– Day 5
Seasons of rest are beautiful and wonderful.
But I’ve wasted my times of rest so often…
I’ve wasted my rest by worrying if others will think I’m lazy.
I’ve wasted my rest by spending it on unimportant things.
I’ve wasted my rest by trying to multitask the little work I have.
I’ve wasted my rest by filling up my time with stuff that doesn’t refresh or rest or satisfy me.
And resting in our seasons of rest requires so much more intention than we’ve ever dreamed. And it will be so much more worth it than we ever dreamed.
Plan intentionally
What things rest you that you normally don’t have time to do?
Taking a long slow bath
Planning a day away
Inviting friends for a picnic dinner
Reading a whole book
Redecorating a room
What is fun and restful and energizing to you, but takes more time than a busy season will allow? Plan to do those things.
Then work hard in the work you do have, so that you actually have time to rest. Because if you work slowly because you have more time then you’ll never actually get to the restful things.
Plan Simply
Plan, but plan simply. Allow yourself extra time and maybe even leave time unplanned.
Don’t fall prey to Instagram and Facebook and Netflix and Candy Crush or that thing that everyone claims is restful but really stresses you out, because you’ll waste away your rest with things that are not restful.
So keep your plan simple to you, whatever that looks like, and leave breathing room.
Slow Down Your Mind
Seasons of rest slip away so quickly if we don’t intentionally, willfully slow them down ourselves.
“When I fully enter time’s swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.”
Ann Voskamp
And she preaches the giving of thanks with every part of her life and I’m finding myself inclined to agree. Because I’ve missed out on the good days by spending them worrying that I’m missing out and I’ve missed out on the good in the bad days by spending them counting down seconds till they’re over.
And even the saddest of days have had flavors of sweet because of the weight that bringing my full attention to them has wrought.
You cannot rest with your body without resting with your mind.
You cannot rest with your soul without resting with your mind.
And your body can be running or working or scrubbing toilets or simply sitting still, but your mind determines your state of work or rest.
You need the freedom to slow your mind. To trust God that your world will not crumble if you let go of the million things you’re holding onto in your brain.
Plan Intentionally
Plan Simply
And then Slow Down Your Mind and enjoy the rest you’ve planned for.
Be blessed
<3
