A Call to REST

Introduction

The theme of REST has become quite urgent during the season of the pandemic. All over the world, everyone is compelled to take a much-needed break from the new normal.

Due to the deadly impact of viral infection, we are strongly expected to observe the necessary protocol: wearing masks, frequent handwashing, social distancing, and limiting travel to essential.

Some have to be brought to the medical facility for extended and more intensive medical care.

The previous pattern of constant activity has been drastically altered to one of isolation. We have an option to observe this new normal grudgingly or with the stability of the heart that results in sustained inner peace.

This is where the theme of REST could be a significant opportunity for reflection. 

REST suggests a bigger theme: Shalom or Wholeness – a state of fullness, completeness, or well-being. The Greek word Eirene is understood as Peace coming from wholeness. Thus, wholeness is an inward reality that impacts thinking, attitude, feeling, and behavior.

It encompasses all the elements of life, namely the spiritual, psychological, social, physical, recreational, and ecological. These elements are all interrelated. Neglect or abuse of one will necessarily affect the others. 

An important pathway to develop and maintain wholeness is to integrate Selah or Rest in our regular pursuit of life. Like music, life will have greater value if there is regular rest.

May you find it in your hearts to consider this reflection as encouragement even as you permit yourself to take a Rest.

Rest is becoming a scarce commodity

Rest is a commodity that is becoming more scarce in the life of someone whose heart has been poured out for others’ service.  

When we REST we pay attention to all in us – body, mind and spirit.

When we do not Rest, we either neglect or abuse one or all in us. The immediate consequence would be fragmentation, the result of which could be tragic.

Consider this: Robert Murray McCheyne was a 19^th C preacher who, after graduating from Edinburgh University at age 14 in 1827 and leading a Presbyterian congregation of over 1000 at age 23, worked so hard that his health finally broke.

Before dying at age 29, he wrote, “God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I have killed the horse, and now I cannot deliver the message.” (Killed the Horse, Quoted in E. Skoglund, Burning out for God, pp. 12, 30).

The preceding story is a classic example of what happens to one who works very hard for the benefit of others and, in the process, has not appreciated the value of Rest. He literally burned out to the death! 

Lest we forget, there is a biblical command for God’s people. It reads, “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.” (Exodus 23:12).

When I do not rest, I declare with my behavior that I am better than the God who modeled and instructed His people to rest!

Mentally I may believe rest is valuable, but behaviorally, rest has not become my personal value. 

To Rest is an act of obedience! When I rest, I convey in no uncertain terms that I am following both the example and instruction of the Higher Power.

When I take rest, I affirm that continuing care for self is extremely important for sustained strength and wisdom.  

Four major components of REST

Let me share four Major Components of REST, each representing a letter in the word REST for ease of memory.

A. Retreat

You and I cannot really REST unless we retreat from our regular routine.

The military uses the term retreat to mean to withdraw from the battleground.

Retreat as an element of REST entails moving away from where one does routine work to another place.

This is such a simple requirement that many tend to overlook its simplicity. Resting cannot occur if one refuses to retreat. 

There are two assumptions in retreating: 

1. The current life-process has become too involved that keeping on might prove counterproductive.
   
   Indeed this is so true among those who are involved in the helping profession. We are constantly exposed to dealing with human brokenness; comforting the weary and encouraging the casual; coming home to face the challenges of being a spouse who needs to develop intimacy and a parent who needs to be wise in word and in deed.
   
   To top all these, we also hear undue criticism from those whose pain remains unresolved. If we continue on without resting, we may burn out and our responses may prove ineffective. And so we retreat.
    
2. There is an available place where one can experience quietness.
   
   For many, this place does not have to be expensive. This is simply a venue where we are not distracted by constant signals of technology egging for attention.
   
   This is a place where I, the human being could be reminded of my inner core. To this place, I listen to the Lord who declares, “Come with me.” 

When you and I retreat we are reminded that God is with us regardless of our role.

The quietness becomes an opportunity to recapture our core to include: I’m loved; I’m special; I’m gifted; I matter! Some of us tend to forget this core when we’re busy with work, especially religious work.

Thus, we try to get its substitute by gaining approval from others through performing and get frustrated when it is not delivered. 

B. Evaluate

In REST, one is granted an opportunity to wait. The waiting is not passive.

When we Rest, we permit ourselves to wait for God to clarify the direction He wants us to pursue. Resting suggests evaluating.

And what do we evaluate?  Five Items to evaluate.

1. We evaluate ourselves. We ask: Do I truly believe that where I am is where I need to be at this point in my life? Am I experiencing joy as I fulfill my role? Am I practicing my giftedness? Do I take care of myself while I am caring for others? What areas in life do I need to grow?
   
2. We evaluate our focus. We ask: Am I devoted to the building and nurturing of relationships? Do I see examples of people being built-up in the faith resulting from my involvement in their lives? Which areas have I been distracted? 
   
3. We evaluate our effectiveness. We ask: Do I see evidence of my effectiveness through changed lives and strengthened commitment? Do I keep on doing that which is not working? What can I do differently?
    
4. We evaluate our family life. We ask: Do I sense hunger and thirst in my family for deeper spirituality? Are my family members supportive of each other? Are my children growing in their desire to follow the Lord? 
   
5. We evaluate the community we serve. We ask: How is the level of commitment to love and to serve the Lord? What can I do to improve the quality of engagement I see among the members? How can I become a channel of positive change?

When we REST to Evaluate, we may discover our weariness and weakness, our propensities to stumble and fall, and our sense of false security and indispensability.

These discoveries are potential signposts that direct us to our need for divine guidance that we tend to forget when we are busy doing work. 

Peter Marshall was a former chaplain of the US Senate. Wife Catherine Marshall, in “Something More” relates, “In Peter’s case, I am certain that it was not God’s ideal will that he die of coronary occlusion at 46.”

After his first heart attack, a friend asked, “I’m curious to know something. What did you learn during your illness?”

“Do you really want to know?” Catherine answered promptly. “I learned that the Kingdom of God goes on without Peter Marshall.”

The paradox of the Christian life and ministry is this: Although in God everyone is valuable, nobody in God’s work is indispensable!

C. Simplify

Part of REST is to Simplify. By “simplify” means to return to the basics. And what are the basics of life?

(1) Life is loving God in obedience. It is neither about religious programs nor activities.

When Christ was accused by the Pharisees of violating the laws by picking grain for food for their hunger during Sabbath, he reminded them that Sabbath was made for man and not man for Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

It is a major mistake to substitute the meeting of human needs with religious activities. 

(2) Life is about relationships. It is not about tangibles.

We need to resist the intrusion of the corporate world, thinking that tries to convince us that the way to pursue life is to succeed at all costs instead of to be faithful whatever the cost.

Success to the world is often spelled out in terms of tangibles: numbers and buildings. 

Do you know why depression is becoming an epidemic of our day? It’s primarily due to isolation or lack of nurturing relationships!

Focus on a relationship starts with how one nurtures the home life: where the spouse supports the other and where children respect parents.

The relationship extends to the community of faith and is characterized by palpable love for one another. 

(3) Teaching is effective through example.

It is not about the eloquence of speech or mastery of doctrine. In life, all of us have opportunities to teach, whether formally or informally.

I think those of us who have the opportunity for training need to be extra cautious that our training and skill do not become predominant in our practice of our giftedness.

We need to remember often that it is not our competence that changes hearts. 

(4) To serve comes from overflow.

It is not about codependency. Codependency occurs when we derive our personal value in caretaking, at the expense of our personal welfare, so that we can postpone looking at our personal pain and issues.

In codependency, we use other people to satisfy our need to be needed instead of truly meeting their needs.

Codependency is usually indicated when we become overly solicitous or frustrated at people’s thanklessness for the good we do.

We can avoid codependent patterns by looking inside and addressing promptly the issues we see. Then, when resolved, we can serve out of overflowing joy. 

D. Transmit

Part of REST is to commit to transmitting effectively to others.

When we rest as a result of retreating, we take the opportunity for evaluating that results in simplifying.

As we continue the process of resting, we also solidify our commitment to transmit to others. 

Two compelling messages to transmit: 

(1) We transmit our definition of ourselves. We are not defined by what we do. We are defined by who we are and who’s we are. 

(a) Who we are.

If who we are is full of unresolved pain, that is what we will transmit to others.

That is why we need to have constant time for REST so that we can take the opportunity to transform our pain. Pain that is not transformed gets transmitted (Richard Rohr).

When our pain is transformed into wisdom and virtue, then we will transmit wisdom and virtue. When our pain is transformed, our past will not be a preponderance of regret but an abundance of lessons learned.

Our messages conveyed through our leadership roles will not be avenues to vindicate ourselves and to prove we are right. Instead, our messages will become avenues to transmit the love and encouragement of God. 

Do you know why younger teachers tend to be very strict? They still have the need to prove correctness. The more maturing ones have diminished in that need.

For the one who has been wizened by the past, if there is a compelling need, it would be to make a difference in the lives of others. 

(b) Who’s we are.

Part of our self-definition is Who’s we are. The LORD holds ownership of our lives as we have yielded to His control.

This means that in service, it is not about us but Him. This also means that when we are criticized unduly, we do not react defensively.

Our immediate response is to reflect and find out our share of responsibility. If the criticism has no merit, we should not lose sleep over it.

If it has merit, we make every effort to change. This brings us to the second most important part of what we transmit. 

(2) We transmit our developing sense of congruence.

Congruence occurs when speech, attitude, feeling, and behavior all align.

For some examples:

• If I say I love you, but I do unloving things to you, I’m incongruent;
• If I say that you are one of us, but my attitude excludes you, I’m incongruent;
• If I say one thing today, another thing tomorrow, I’m incongruent. 

The virtue of integrity is an allied concept of congruence. Integrity, when understood as living one’s beliefs and values, provides a moral foundation for congruence. Congruent people influence others by their example. 

Indeed, the quality of REST becomes completed when we solidify our commitment to transmit our definition of ourselves and our developing congruence through example. 

Conclusion

To rest is to obey. Obedience fosters the needed replenishment for even more effectiveness.

A story is told of one man who challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest.

The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day.

At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did.”

“But you didn’t notice,” said the winning woodsman, “that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest.” (Source Unknown.)

This story pictures what it means to Rest. It is not to stay idle.

It is in a way to sharpen one’s ax so that one could chop more wood. How do we sharpen our life’s ax?

We do this when we REST:

Retreat for the routine may become overwhelming;

Evaluate so that you and I will not have to keep on doing that which is not working;

Simplify so that we will hear the reminder that life is essentially about nurturing of relationships;

and commit to Transmit through example a life that has resolved all past issues.

A regularly rested individual is one who carries a strong potential for wholeness. 

At the end of the day, to REST is to obey to foster change for wholeness to grow.

Would it not be tragic if after this season of the pandemic has ended, when we are all forced to take a much-needed rest, even a prolonged one, that we remain unchanged persons because we failed to take the opportunity to retreat, evaluate, simplify, and transmit?

Let’s take this time of chaos as an opportunity to do intentional REST!