In the story of Creation in Genesis, God created the world and all living creatures in the span of six days. Then, on the seventh day, God rested. Which begs the question, if our Creator took time to rest, perhaps we should too.
Rest is as essential to each of us as food and water. And yet, far too often, it is the last thing on our “to do” list. Our culture attempts to convince us that to be worthy or valued we must “do more”—work harder, produce more, grind more, rest less. Except that isn’t who we are meant to be.
When we rest, we place our trust in God, who invites us to live in fullness. When we make space for others to rest, we stand in opposition to systems and institutions which deny the full humanity of every person.
Rest is far more than sleep, although sleep is often an essential part of our need to rest. Rest is also finding spaces, places, activities, and communities to engage in simply for the joy of it. It turns out the old adage was true, “everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten.” Because “in Kindergarten,” as children, we learned to play—to give ourselves over to imagination, fun, laughter, not to mention a nap and a snack!
Which begs the question, when was the last time you truly rested?