Everybody knows exhaustion. Sometimes it goes by another name-- Overwhelmed. Overworked. Underpaid. Burned out. And so on. Perhaps you’ve known her? Exhaustion knows no stranger and has become a disease that we deal with and operate under as the “norm.” I’ve yet to figure out why it is that we settle for a life without rest, and therefore, less than our best. The answer is unfailing, “we do what we have to do.”
We have to work. We have to finish what we have overcommitted to doing. We have to do what someone else won’t. We have to finish what we know we do better than anyone else. We have to attend one more event, finish one more task, and do one more thing to ensure success. Sound familiar? I’ve seen it in the overtime hours on the job, in an obsession with perfect parenting, in a quest to make more money, and even in the desire to see ministries developed and souls saved. We do what we think we have to do.
Dare I say, that though the work ethic is commendable, we are guilty of idolatry. God himself created and participated in rest and we certainly cannot accomplish more than he. From the beginning of time God is found to create, build, form, and intentionally design his creation, but at the end of it all he rests. He stops. He simply exists in the midst of all that he has done.
Honestly, it seems like a brilliant idea. I mean, what would be the point of creating all sorts of wonderful people and things if you never had a moment to be with them, to celebrate them, or to love and nurture what has been created? God created in his love and he rested in his love—A testament to his power in that he can still be at work in the world just by existing with her.
If I told you that doing less would accomplish more, would you take the break? Well, it’s true. I’m not just talking about physically doing less tasks, but mentally and spiritually as well. No, this isn’t an opportunity to quit your early morning prayer time and put the bible on the shelf for a while. It is however, a call to slow down and spend some time just existing among the work and people in your life. Just for a moment, stop. Stop running your kids around to every extra circular to make sure they have strong “character development”, and spend some time with them. Teaching, talking, and laughing together. God’s character in you will shine through. Stop working overtime to pay for extra amenities and take the time to enjoy what you already have. Stop reading more self-help books and praying as many words as possible, and telling everyone to tell you what you need to do or how to do it. Instead, just be silent for a while. Listen. Listen for the work of God already present in your life, and give thanks.
When you stop and rest you are free to enjoy all that you’ve already been given and you discover the real reason you feel defeated and exhausted in the first place. Many times our defeat and exhaustion is rooted in our disconnect from purpose. If we rest, then we reconnect with our motivation and purpose for faith, family, and everyday pursuits. When it comes time to work again we can live the abundant life that Jesus promised, and avoid perpetual exhaustion. Be encouraged this week--- you can know and identify what it is that is wearing you down in any part of your life. It begins with the practice of rest so we might, “Be still and know that he is God.”
EB
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