Relax, Reset, Recharge.
Table Talk
Setting the Table
Place a point of focus on your heart and a point of focus on your belly, and take a few slow, deep breaths. As you do, lift up a prayer of gratitude for the life and love inside of you.
Sometimes, carving out time for rest in the middle of our busy schedules seems impossible. But God never meant for us to run ourselves ragged. Could there be a way to give ourselves a break and live more into the life God intended for us?
I Love Lucy (S1, Ep30)
“Hello friends…are you tired, run down, listless...Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?”
- Lucille Ball
Easy by Lionel Richie
That’s why I’m easy, easy like Sunday morning.
Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Food for Thought
For the past decade or so, I’ve struggled with the ability to truly rest – to feel comfortable with the fact that there is no work I immediately need to do, to accept that I’m free to relax and enjoy the present moment. There is a constant undercurrent of “I need to be doing something else” or “I need to be somewhere else”. If I’m resting, to me that means I’m not doing something that needs to be done.
This tendency has its pros, of course. Rarely do I miss a deadline, forget an assignment, or drop a ball (unless you’re talking about a literal ball – hand-eye coordination has never been my strong suit). However, this tendency has developed into a full-blown compulsion that feels impossible to conquer.
The other day, I decided to treat myself to a much-needed massage. As I lay there ready to enjoy an hour of peace and serenity, my phone buzzed signaling that I had just received an email. Then I got a text. No big deal, right? I’ll check it in an hour. Back to the massage. Except I could not – and I mean, could NOT – turn my brain off. I immediately went into panic mode. “What if it’s a really important email and they need me to respond right away. Now they’re texting because I’m not responding. Oh dear, what did I forget to do?” I spent the hour I had set aside to reset and recharge trying to unravel the spiral my mind had twisted into because I couldn’t let go of the fear that something more important than my self-care needed addressing. As it turns out, the email and the text were not important AT ALL! I believe the moral of this story might just be to turn your phone off when you get a massage.
After that experience, I sat down with my cousin who is pursuing her masters degree in marriage and family therapy with a focus on biblical family therapy. I chatted with her about my compulsive need to “do”, and we discussed how this need is driven by the basic fear of not being good enough. I equate my worth with my accomplishments. I keep myself busy because I falsely believe that if I’m busy, that means I’m important. You can see how this belief system makes resting difficult, to say the least. The thing is, as my wise cousin reminded me, our loving God has commanded me to rest.
I’ve considered the commandment to observe a day of rest and its purpose. Perhaps God in God’s infinite wisdom knew that humans would just plain need a day! Like when grown-ups make kids take naps. In his article A Day of Rest: 12 Scientific Reasons It Works, Rhett Power highlights the scientific benefit of taking the day of rest most major religions call for. He states that doing so can contribute to reduced stress, improved physical and mental health, better sleep, heightened creativity, and more productivity. Matt Smethurst approaches What Does it Mean to Observe the Sabbath with a more religious perspective. He says, “This pattern of regular rest ought to be woven into the rhythm of our lives. Among other things, it’s a declaration to others and a reminder to ourselves that we are small. We are frail. We are dependent. We are not God. No wonder a persistent failure to rest usually reveals our pride and leads to burnout.”
In analyzing my tendency to constantly be working, I’ve realized that, in doing so, I’m displaying a complete lack of faith in God. By not allowing my mind and body the rest they need, not only am I compromising my mental and physical health, but I’m subconsciously telling myself that I am more important and more capable than God.
So, after careful consideration, I’ve decided that I’m going to observe a day of rest every week during Lent. For one day a week, I’m going to try and let my mind and body reach a place of calm, understanding that if God has commanded me to rest, I can do so without fear that everything will fall apart. God’s got this! This will be an exercise in faith that not only expresses my love for God, but also for myself - and it acknowledges that my worth is not tied to my accomplishments. My life has value because I am valuable to God, and there is nothing I can do to add to or take away from that blessing.
The idea of resting can seem like a luxury to some. If taking a day of rest seems impossible to you due to financial constraints, dependents, etc., is there a loved one you could reach out to to step in and unload some of the weight? Could someone help babysit/parent-sit, cook or clean for a couple hours while you go for a walk, grab a latte, or grab a nap? If these options still are not doable, or if you don’t feel comfortable with them due to COVID, don’t fret – Healthline has some great ways to help you find moments of calm fast.
If you’re searching for an active way to let yourself relax, reset, and recharge, I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene. I love her approach to yoga (and life)!
Blessing
Dear God, thank you for loving us. Help us find the rest we need so that we can live fully into the lives you have intended for us. Help us to trust you when we’re afraid to stop and take a break. Give us peace in knowing that our value lies not in our accomplishments, but solely in the fact that we are valuable to you, and that is something no one can ever diminish.
A little Table Talk for your table...
In what ways can we find God through rest?
If you struggle with the ability to find rest, what drives your need to constantly be on the go? What’s the worst thing that would realistically happen if you took a day to rest?
Draw your ideal picture of serenity, your place of peace – the beach, the mountains, a forest, etc. For some added fun, draw with your eyes closed! This exercise is not about the finished product. It’s about being able to bring yourself to a place of calm with nothing more than your imagination.