Rest - Catching our Breath
This blog is Part Two of a series written over a period of months in 2025.
There is today a pervasive form of contemporary violence …..activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life is a form of innate violence, perhaps the most common form. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, even to want to help everyone, is to succumb to a violence that kills the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful.
Thomas Merton.
For millennia, religions have regarded ritual rest as a spiritual necessity. More recently though, faith leaders are arguing that this practice, whether in a secular or religious context, can help redirect the world’s societies away from catastrophic climate change. They suggest a shared day of rest might slow the pace of consumption, curb emissions or ease the burden people working weary weekends. A recent article in the Washington Post suggests such a cultural change might convince us that a more sustainable way of life is not only good for the planet, but also good for us.
For Judaeo Christian tradition, this sacred rest comes from the creation stories in Genesis:
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 1:31–2:3
What constitutes a good holiday is a highly personal matter, but it’s generally agreed that one of our top priorities during such times is to rest. However, many of us struggle to unwind. The opening quote from spiritual writer Thomas Merton comes from the sixties, but the same observation could be made today. We too have myriad responsibilities, too many balls to juggle. Rest can seem like a luxury. Yet the Bible’s epic account of why the world and humankind came into being includes the fact that God rested. He recognised that it was time to stop.
Christian writer Lynne Baab says “God was able to rest on the seventh day because the creation is so abundant, and so perfectly ordered. We are invited to rest on the Sabbath as a sign that God rules the universe so well.” In Exodus 23: 12, this practice is said to be so we may “be refreshed”; one scholar translates those words as to “catch our breath.”
“Busy, but happy” That’s my common response to people who ask how I’m doing. And others say something similar to me. Yet, if you probe further about their lives, they will often mention exhaustion. Keep listening, and you might notice a deep emptiness. Lynne Baab suggests that in face of “frantic activity that does not fill the hollow spaces in our inner beings… the Sabbath can slow us down enough to counter the exhaustion and emptiness”…. to catch our breath and rest in God’s abundance.” A Day Without a ‘Do’ List | Lynne Baab
Last post I wrote about expanding our vision of Sabbath, and finding a creativity and freedom that breaks open the ‘small box’ to which our forebears often confined Sabbath observance. This article is more about using holidays to rest, and how we need spaces in our lives. When I first studied psychology 50 years ago, a memorable experiment was one where we learned a simple motor task that could be clearly shown to improve with practice. Then we inserted some breaks in our repetitions, and we got even better at it! The lecturers defined this as Spaced Learning, and it’s a practice I have continued to follow during years of further study, but also with any focussed task such as writing or sewing. If God gave himself permission to rest at the point of his greatest productivity, I can grant myself the same permission, and it will do me good.
In our Presbytery region, ministers gather once a year, usually during Lent, to retreat for three days to a beautiful spot by the ocean. And the first thing we say when introducing the programme is that this is a time of space. The planned presentations are not compulsory. And if participants just need to stop, that’s fine, And those who come do indeed rest, and often sleep. Tish Hansen Warren reminds us that “our bodies are not inactive in sleep…we dream, we fight illness, we sort and strengthen memories from the day….sleep is an act of surrender.” No wonder some find they need to give in to it. That’s not to say the retreat programme is superfluous; most of us find that withdrawing from the office, computer, phone and timetabled tasks of ministry is the ‘rest’ of doing something different. And the food and conversation is great too!
Be careful though – the Sabbath should involve genuinely stopping. It’s easy to get caught up in doing numerous spiritual activities on our day of rest. If we fill all our time with even the worthiest of activities, we miss out on the freedom and abundance that God invites us to experience. The Sabbath calls us to pause and remember that God is the one who sustains the universe, not us. We don’t need to work hard to make the Sabbath holy; stopping our usual routines can help us appreciate that God is already at work in creation and community.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11: 28 – 30
By resting, we can notice God’s presence and give thanks. In one Jewish tradition, prayers of intercession are avoided on the Sabbath because they are considered too much work, while prayers of thankfulness are encouraged. “whatever you do or say” (Colossians 3: 17 NLT )
Want to try? In the Washington Post article, Michael Coren includes three suggestions for a day of rest:
- Pick something you love, just for the pleasure of it. If something brings you unadulterated joy, no matter how small or silly, this is the time to do it. It will help you connect with people and places around you.
- Find a community to share it with. You can join a congregation, but even a friend or a spouse can be enough. Sabbath-keeping is at heart a communal act. And it helps with accountability.
- Any amount of time can be a Sabbath. Rest is a privilege that many literally can’t afford. The Sabbath practice is about stopping long enough to think more clearly about who we are, and what we are called to do. Even Sabbath moments can help; carve out as many as you can, brief as they may be, and see where it leads.
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs
a breathing space
Too much of a good thing
too many logs packed in too tight
can squelch a fire
can douse the flames
almost as surely as a pail of water can
We need to practise building open spaces
just as clearly as we learn
to pile on the logs
it’s fuel, and absence of the fuel,
together
that make fire possible
by Judy Brown
