Rest
- maevus
- May 3
- 3 min read
Do you feel like you should be doing something because of all that’s happening in the world? Have you considered demonstrating with placards, joining a political party, writing letters or emails, writing a factual and/or satirical social media post?
My apologies--this blog isn’t about inviting you do any actions at all, unless you have the energy and time and feel God’s invitation to do so. Instead, today I'm inviting you into the practice of rest.
Trisha Hersey describes rest as an act of resistance. She has written an entire book about this,[1]. Perhaps like Hersey, you might choose rest as an act of resistance in response to what's happening.
Even if you don't connect with Hersey's ideas, rest is an important spiritual practice on its own.
Why do we need to rest? Each of us will have our own answers to that question. Living with a chronic condition I’ve learned that regular rest helps keep me healthy. That means getting enough sleep at night, but also laying down during my twice daily centring prayer sessions. Listening to my body. Resting when I feel tired.
Rest teaches us to surrender and to be vulnerable to our human limitations. Surrender and vulnerability are both important ways of being in all relationships, but especially in our relationship with the Divine.
Maisie Sparks says that rest allows us to "listen for the still, small voice that abides within,"[2] and that it provides space for us to "enjoy God," [3]. I've rarely considered the possibility that I could enjoy God. That idea is almost is antithetical to everything that I was taught in my Christian upbringing. But upon reflection, I can see that my “alone times” with the Holy often give me experiences that I could describe as enjoying God. Thank you Maisie for inviting me into an awareness that I can enjoy the Divine!
While Sabbath is natural to some religions and some cultures, North American culture prides work and productivity. It’s not easy to let go of the social narrative that looks down on people who rest, those who choose to be, instead of always doing.
How might each of us rest? Once again, only you can know what is best for your own body, your soul, your life. Rest might mean choosing to take a nap after hearing bad news. Or maybe just taking a nap for no reason at all. There are many types of rest—just being for a minute, an hour, a day. And perhaps even taking longer retreats.
Rest is a doorway to awe and wonder. A wise elder once told me that the opposite of despair isn’t hope, but instead that the opposite of despair is awe or wonder. And thus, rest, as a gateway to awe and wonder can help us let go of despair. I invite you to allow your imagination to guide you into the possibility of resting so that you can be more open to awe and wonder during this time which can be very despairing.
I pray that the Spirit opens you to pondering how you might bring more rest into your life. May you find practices, prayers, and even special places that can assist you with this.
One practice of rest might include lying down while contemplatively listening to a simple song, such as the Bookmark Prayer Song composed by Simon de Voil.
The Bookmark Prayer Song
Lyrics are based on the words of Saint Teresa of Avila, (a 16th century Carmelite nun and Spanish mystic).
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything changes,
I alone remain.
Hold patience, for nothing is wasted.
Presence in all things
I'm with you in all things.
Trisha Hersey, Rest is Resistance: Free Yourself from Grind Culture and Reclaim Your Life, Aster Pub., London, U.K., 2022.
Maisie Sparks, "RestWorks: Quiet Times Fuel Grateful Activity," in Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, ed. Sherry Bryant-Johnson, Rosalie Norman-McNaney & Therese Taylor-Stinson, New York, Morehouse Publishing, 2014, 113.
Ibid, 111.
This blog is dedicated to the memory of Maureen Fowler, a beloved spiritual mentor.
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