Consider Rest
“Busy.” It may be the most common response we hear—and give—when someone asks, “How are you?” “I’m swamped.” “Overloaded.” “Maxed out.” “Slammed.” “Stretched thin.” We say we’re running on fumes, spinning plates, burning the candle at both ends, or caught in the rat race.
The language of hurry has become the liturgy of our lives. We live in a culture that treats busyness like a badge of honor, as if being constantly in motion proves our value. But is it really honorable—or is it harmful?
From the Mayo Clinic to the CDC, from the National Sleep Foundation to Pew Research, the data all agree: Busyness is costing us. It disrupts the rhythm of rest God wove into our design. And the toll is staggering: sleep deprivation, stress-related illnesses, burnout and exhaustion, irritability, anxiety, and depression, loss of joy, focus, and gratitude, addiction to noise and stimulation, shallow relationships and loneliness, identity distortion tied to work and performance.
So what’s the remedy? God gives it to us in one powerful, restorative word: rest. He has built into the fabric of creation four kinds of rest that renew and reorient our lives:
There’s the upward rest that points us to God as our perfect Creator. At the dawn of time, God rested, not because He was tired, but because His work was complete and fully satisfying (Gen. 1:31–2:3). He invites us to reflect and rejoice in His creative power, to regularly look up and be in awe of His majestic creativity. Take time each week to step outside and let creation remind you: You and I are not God and that’s good.
There’s the external rest that our bodies need. God designed us with limits—and called us to a rhythm: six days of work, one day of rest (Ex. 20:11). Due to the curse of sin, our bodies get weary and need regular replenishment. Jesus Himself called His disciples, “Come away…and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19–20), and faithful stewardship includes sleep, nourishment, exercise, and margin for the glory of God.
There’s the inward rest that a relationship with Jesus Christ provides. Jesus speaks directly to the spiritually worn-out and weary: “Come to Me…and I will give you rest…for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–30). This is the rest of grace—no striving, no proving, because our gentle Savior invites us to learn from Him, trust Him, and walk in step with Him. And He gives us soul-renewing gifts: His Word, prayer, worship, communion, and His people.
There’s the future rest we look forward to when the Lord returns. This world is not our final home. A greater rest is coming that is full, perfect, and eternal. “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9–11a). God declares, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…so that they may rest from their labors” (Rev. 14:13). We press on in faith, not as frantic performers, but as pilgrims with hope—awaiting the day when rest is an ultimate reality forever.
We all know we need rest, so how could we ever improve upon God’s prescription?
Pastor Jeff
“In God’s design, the home is the first school, and parents are the first teachers. The fifth commandment preserves this God-ordained structure for human flourishing.”