By Erin K. Robison, M.Ed., LPC

“No rest for the wicked.” “There will be time to sleep when I’m dead.” “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” Any of these sound familiar? We live in a modern culture that glorifies busyness. We are expected to produce and finish and do and complete. The list of things that we should do is never ending. And rather than celebrate our wins we focus on what is undone, should-ing all over ourselves.

Enter yours truly. Just call me Martha. Sitting at the feet of Jesus is something I should do more often. It’s the thing that He tells us is the better choice. (Luke 10:38-42) But I don’t. And we don’t. We, in fact, wear busyness as a badge of honor. I’m soooo busy. I’m just slammed. I’m meeting myself coming and going.  Everyone understands this means we are doing what is expected and necessary and good. Or are we?

If not, then what is the alternative? What does counter-culture look like and sound like and feel like? The answer is woven like a beautiful, golden thread throughout the scriptures:

• …and on the seventh day He rested…~ Genesis 2:2
• Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. ~ Exodus 16:23
• The Lordreplied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. ~ Exodus 33:14
• But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. ~ Leviticus 24:4
• But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lordyour God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. ~ Deuteronomy 12:10

In the midst of this hectic, frenetic, badge-filled life, the Lord invites us to pause. To breathe. To rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened (heavy-laden), and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

For us do-ers, this is quite the challenge. Mostly because do-ers struggle to understand that this invitation is about grace. Jesus tells us that there is nothing we have to or can DO to earn the rest. We just come. We accept His invitation, given without strings attached. When we lay our burdens at His feet we simultaneously let go of the message that says we have to work and perform and produce and do to experience the peace and contentment that comes with resting in Him.

In this life, the juxtaposition of doing and resting is where the rubber meets the road. We each have to discover what that means for ourselves. For example, as a do-er, I like to be busy. I appreciate making order out of chaos. I love me a good to-do list and a pretty highlighter. Doing is a way to relieve anxiety for me. But it is not always a good thing. Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11 is to let Him take our anxiety, not to try to manage it ourselves. Cause that just doesn’t work. As much as we want it to.

Resting for someone like me usually means NOT doing. It means giving up the compulsion to get something done and spending time healing. For instance, talking to Jesus heals my spirit. Not something a do-er always makes time for. Sleeping and being still heals my body. Equally hard when the house needs to be vacuumed or the socks sorted. Remembering what is true and not thinking of what could happen heals my mind. Sometimes the hardest of all since it’s a lot easier to get caught up in the perpetual worry.

But just because you aren’t a do-er, doesn’t mean you’ve got the market cornered on resting. Sleeping, maybe. Or veg-ing. Or couch potato-ing.  But not necessarily resting. Instead you find yourself distracted from rest by all that glitters – gaming, You Tube, streaming, scrolling. Get my drift? So, rest for you might look weirdly like what the do-er also needs to do. How could that even be true?!? Rest, by definition, is stopping that which keeps us moving – away from the author of rest. Rest means we go to Him. We, like Mary, sit at His feet, listening to His words of life and laying down those burdens we were never meant to carry. It means giving up our determination to do life on our own and acknowledging that we need help, both from Him and others.

In the end, maybe this will help, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

What does rest look like for you? And what keeps you from it?

Warmly,

Erin

Erin is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Life Coach and Speaker with a flourishing practice in Cypress, Texas. If you would like to connect with Erin, you can email her at Erin@erinkrobison.com or you can find more information at www.ErinKRobison.com.

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.