Susan Narjala
Keeping it Real
What Does Rest Really Look Like?
The other day a friend texted me with a question: If you could have a perfectly restful day, what would it look like?
My initial reaction was to say something flippant like: “Sleep in all day with no one saying the word, “Mama!”.” Or perhaps, “Binge watch Netflix for six hours without a whiff of guilt.”
But then I decided to take a moment to reflect on the question before I responded.
And respond I did. To be fair, I did warn her that instead of a text she was headed for a mini blog post. What can I say? I had a somewhat captive reader. If I didn’t milk that, would I even be a writer? (Rhetorical question, obviously).
So, what does a perfectly restful day look like for me?
It would be refreshing: I’m 42 years old. And here’s something I’ve discovered now that I’m in my “middle years” (I did NOT just say that!): I can’t have a perfectly restful day unless I’m rested inside. And the best way I know how to do that is by simply being quiet before God. There’s nothing like spending a good chunk o’ time with my Maker so I can be refreshed and renewed in Him. It puts everything into perspective. It gives me the ammo I need to step into the week. It just feeds my soul in a way that nothing else can.
It would be resourceful: I would roll my eyes and say “Yeah, right” if I heard some self-help guru make that proclamation. But, the truth is, I would rather make my kids chocolate-chip pancakes on a Saturday morning than lounge on the couch scrolling through social media. I cringe as I say this because it sounds awfully self-sacrificial. As a younger, sleep-deprived mom, I would have chosen to sleep in for an hour over making breakfast for the littles who caused the sleep deprivation in the first place. But in this season, it feels inexplicably good to wake up on time, get my coffee and get movin’ (In my dictionary, that means cleaning out my closet or organizing the pantry, or cooking a meal – not like getting a Zumba workout in before 8 am. Just saying.)
It would be relational: I have Middle Schoolers living with me now. Don’t ask me how they got here. But they’re under my roof, occupying substantial real estate. They eat my food, use my phone, and believe strongly in the power of Amazon Prime. They like video games that I don’t know how to play and talk about music I know nothing about. But in a few years, they won’t be living with me anymore. A perfectly restful day would 100 percent involve connecting with said species of co-habitants. Sure, lounging on a hammock with a book and not speaking to a soul sound great on some days. But after a while, I crave connection with my favorites. A perfectly restful day involves me squishing my humans (when they let me) and annoying them about cleaning up (even when they don’t let me). A restful day involves having framily over – when lunch wraps up only after evening chai and biscuits. A restful day involves loading the dishwasher with more plates than usual because we pulled up more mismatched seats to the dining table. A restful day looks delightfully relational.
So, that’s my text turned blog post. My sympathies to my friend who likely expected a short and sweet one-liner and instead got slammed with a thesis.
In the meantime, I would love to know what you’ve discovered for yourself about rest. What does a perfectly restful day look like for you?
MEET SUSAN
Comments
6 Comments
Lynn Wickstrom
Susan, the timing and content of your piece is so relevant to me right now. We recently invited a friend to live with us and we have some family visiting us who are grieving a recent close family member. Both are needing a place of rest. God has laid it on our hearts to be that place. I agree that rest includes relationship. The simple act of being alongside someone is rest. Simple activities, intentional moments created and being present in. But I do love my solitary moments of quiet looking out my front window, watching the birds and squirrels. Or a good walk through the Nature Center communing with God in His marvelous creation.
Susan Narjala
Lynn, that’s so beautiful and encouraging. Thank you for being that place of rest for your loved ones. (And, I do so miss the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest! It’s one of the things my heart craves the most. The last time we visited, I made sure we got some hikes in before we left).
Sara
Hi Susan! I love your blog!
To answer your question, my first thought was the same as your #1 point – my restful day would be spending time with God. My most restful day would be having absolutely nothing scheduled except spending time with God. It would be having leftovers in the fridge so I don’t have to make anything – or even having a day of fasting. It would be my family being preoccupied with good, fun things for the whole day so I don’t waste any thoughts on guilt or wondering if they “need” me for something or are going to call me & interrupt my Jesus time. It would be reading lots of the Bible, having my laptop and/or journal with me to help me go in even deeper. It would be singing praise songs & rejoicing in the Lord as loudly as I want without anyone around to hear me except Jesus. It might also be taking a walk in solitude and talking to Jesus in the midst of His lovely creation. It would be falling on my face before Him and falling into peace in His embrace without ever looking at a clock. That would be my most restful, refreshing, and wonderful day.
Susan Narjala
Thank you for sharing, Sara. I love what you’ve written and completely resonate with it. Once a year, I usually take a little “God Getaway” where it’s just me and God (sometimes a friend joins me but we meet only for meals) and it’s been the most refreshing time. Hope to get one day in sometime before the end of the year!
Siju Oommen George
Dear Susan, thank you for asking 🙂
I write this as someone who knew terrible restlessness since I had several psychiatric disorders one of which was related to Anxiety. Medicines stopped working on me and I was given shock treatments during the course of which I cut my hand with a blade to find relief. The marks are still there. But I have not taken any psychiatric since August 2018. The reason was that I experienced the REST mentioned in Hebrews 4:10. I first came to know about it from Hudson’s Taylor’s letter to his sister called “Exchanged Life” ( https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/biotaylor11.html ). That is when I understood that with the new birth I was called by God to experience a “Life” exchange first before a “Lifestyle” exchange. Every life comes with some sort of awareness, consciousness, and strength mentioned as “light” in scripture ( John 1:4 ). Our natural life has limited strength and does not have the light that cannot be overcome by darkness. But “Eternal Life” the Life of God has this unlimited capacity ( John 1:5 ).
Jesus called us to lose our life ( different from “lifestyle” ) in Matthew 10:39.
Paul tells us of that supernatural experience of losing one’s life in Galatians 2:20.
Paul writes the book of Romans and chapters 1-11 talks about how to lose our life ( the energizing factor) and gain Christ’s Life ( Eternal Life is Christ – 1 John 1:2, not a long period of living in heaven )
We see this REST mentioned in several places in the scripture from various angles.
1.. Rest – Hebrews 4:10
2.. Holy Spirit living through us – Romans 8
3.. Abiding/Remaining Life – John 15
4.. The Mystery of Christ – Colossians 1:26, 1 Corinthians 2:7
5.. Strengthened with ALL power according to HIS glorious might, unto ALL endurance and patience WITH JOY – Colossians 1:11
6.. Incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, – 1 Peter 3:4
7.. Seated with Christ in the heavenly realms far above all evil forces – Ephesians 2:6, Ephesians 1:21
And many more….
God differentiates REST with EASE!
Matthew 11:28-29 – …I will give you rest…… learn from me…
What do we learn?
John 5:17 “My Father is WORKING until now, and I am WORKING.”
What did Paul learn?
1 Corinthians 15:10 I LABOURED MORE abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
It may seem contrary in the beginning because Jesus calls us from “labor” to rest but we find that people who experience this rest LABOUR MORE. We can take examples of missionaries like C T Studd who took no vacation.
Rest is the experience of God’s Life inside us which gives resurrection power to our minds & bodies ( https://bit.ly/38ZZJIw ) to do His work without FALLING under strain ( Romans 8:11 ).
Ease is the absence of strain and trouble. God has a warning for those who experience ease!
Amos 6:1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
God has a warning for those who do not enter His rest in the book of Hebrews!
Rest is facing strain and trouble with the undying fruit and resurrection power… the working of the strength of His might which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ( Ephesians 1:20 ) where darkness ( sin and its effects ) does not overcome our light ( Christ ) and where there is UNDYING fruit ( John 15 ).
Sorry, this post is long. But since you asked I thought I would type 🙂
Here I have collected some free books that helped me experience this REST https://bit.ly/3lSBVd6 and there is an excellent Illustrated commentary that shows how to experience this REST that comes by the Life exchange in Romans https://bit.ly/3kX66yR
God bless you 🙂
Susan Narjala
Thanks, Siju! That was indeed an in-depth analysis of rest! Hope you’re experiencing it as you continue to thrive in the good works God has prepared in advance for you to do.