In the face of actual hardship, our true beliefs rise to the surface. When we become quiet and rest, the threats- both exterior and interior- become louder. Only in re-directing our thoughts and courageously facing our reality can we truly rest. We have to believe that the Lord longs to be gracious to us. We have to believe that he will rise up and show us compassion because he is a God of justice. We have to believe that we are blessed by waiting on him. Our very lives depend on these beliefs.
This is why it is so crucial to turn to God in rest before all the threats overwhelm. We “practice” resting as a healthy act of courage. Knowing what we know, seeing what we’ve seen, we still turn to our compassionate God asking him for protection and justice. Resting takes courage.
Resting also takes intention. It just does. The world is way too full of chaos to merely hope that rest will come when everything settles down. No, we have to plan for it. Carve out the time, create the space, and make a plan. Without the intention to rest, every large and small thing will fill your days. Consider your days as glass jar containers for all activities and events, including relationship connections and work. You have been given stones to fill your jar of a day. Efficiency mandates that the larger stones need to go in first and then the small stones can be added. If you put all the small stones in first, they will simply fill the bottom and you may not even fit the larger stones at all. But if you put the larger stones in first and then drop the small stones in, they fill the gaps around the larger ones.
You will need to decide what are the large stones and what are the small stones. Your intention will be determined by your priorities. What kind of a person do you want to be? What will it take to become that kind of person? The answers to those questions will determine your big stones.
All the other things that need to get done or beg for your time and attention are the small stones. They fit between the big stones.
Resting in God will require boundaries. There are natural boundaries around our days— morning and night. There are natural boundaries around our bodies— skin. But many of the issues surrounding rest are invisible. I encourage you to envision your life with fresh eyes. Every “no" you do not say becomes a yes. And every “yes” you say becomes a “no” for everything else at that time. So what boundaries can you place around the life you have been given stewardship over? You have two options because no one has the ability to extend time. You can either do less by choice or you can be forced to do less because of illness and collapse. We are all given the same amount of minutes in a day and the same amount of days in a week, etc.