As we go into spring break all of the educators in public education are looking for a week of rest…. including me. A friend of mine mentioned resting over the break so I wanted to write on it.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is nothing at all. Rest isn’t necessarily doing nothing but intentionally doing less of the things that are stressful, draining, or a part of our daily work and doing more of the things we enjoy, that reenergize us, and connect us. Our culture has pushed the idea of work, never sleep, and grind mentality. I am very guilty of this and struggle with the idea of rest myself.
Rest is intentionally created and designed for humans and we will look at the Biblical references later. Rest is an incremental part of our life. We sleep, literally rest, every night for our body and brain to rest and recover. Anyone who physically trains knows the value of resting muscle and the body because too much all the time can actually damage any gains. We have all hit points of exhaustion and burn out because we didnt prioritize rest.
However, in the same society some could argue that there are many who do nothing but rest. They don't work, live in the parents basement, or live off of uncle sam with no incentive to work. Both are lives that can lead to misery.
Once I really started to work on a weekly rhythm of rest, both personally and as a family, our life got better. But there are important questions you have to ask. If you can't answer these questions you may just be inactive or wasting time. I know this already sounds like a workaholic view of rest but stay with me.
These questions are important because it will determine the quality and purpose of your rest.
When do I plan on resting? Ironically, planning and deadlines are probably already a vital part of your work but it should be incorporated in your rest as well. When it is planned you can prepare for it, meaning you can get all the things you have to do finished beforehand, like planning for food, activities, and how you will rest.
What am I resting from? This is important because you will likely be wired to do what you always do and at first it's hard not to do that. So a stay at home mother’s rest should be different from a traveling salesman's. You need to define what you are resting from so you can better design the rest.
What am I resting for? So for me it comes to my faith and enjoyment of my family. I work a lot of hours at a mentally demanding job so my goal is to enjoy simple things with my family that require low mental input. It could be physical rest if you work a physically demanding job. It could be active rest if you have a sedentary job like planning long hikes if you are always sitting in a cubical inside.
What does rest look like for me? Rest doesn't just mean sitting in the lazy boy watching TV, although it can. For me resting is planning fun things to do with my kids, going for a run, writing and reading. Sometimes it can be taking a nap or playing video games. It just depends. You need to maximize rest for you. Get the most out of your rest by defining what it looks like for you.
How can I maximize my rest? The most important thing to do is draw boundaries between work and rest. If you are trying to rest while working or vice versa, you set yourself up for discontent convoluted attempts at both. I also think that to really value rest then you should also work incredibly hard at what you do. Also, preparing for rest. Think about planning your meals and activities for the time of rest. Getting your work done before the rest. It's hard to rest knowing you have a long list of things to do after. Get the easy to-do list stuff done beforehand.
I know it may seem like its overcomplicating rest but it definitely made our rest much more impactful on our life. I highly recommend at least sectioning out daily and weekly times to rest.
Personal Example: Frazier Family Rest
We have planned some intentional time in our daily and weekly rhythms to rest. We dedicate Saturday for intentional fun rest. Meaning we plan on doing fun things as a family without the worrying of work, house duties, and other responsibilities as much as possible. From going to the zoo, the park, movie days, easy meals ect. I don't want to do anything that looks like a job. But also we have established that from 12:30pm-3:30pm it's quite time to rest. Meaning our kids will take naps, quietly play in their rooms or watch a movie in their rooms while my wife and I rest too. It can be taking a nap, watching TV playing video games or often for me to go on a run. This recharges us for the rest of the day of fun.
Throughout the week, I try to put my phone away from 5-8pm to rest from emails and texts about work and enjoy our kids. Other forms of rest include having our kids in bed by 8 pm and that allows us to have a little bit of time to ourselves. This is used for house work like cleaning the house and laundry but also just non kid and non traditional work time. This is all very flexible but never completely lost or forgotten. Just adapted to the day.
A Biblical Perspective-
The idea of rest may be one of the oldest ideas to exist. On the 7th day of creation after God has created the earth, animals and Adam, the first man, he rested. Ironically, this was one of Adams' first days. He was probably amped ready to work for God and was directed to rest. This is known as the Sabbath.
Genesis 2:2-3 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
This is interesting because an all powerful God doesnt need to rest. He chose to rest. So the significance of an all powerful God who does not need to rest but choosing to rest should indicate the value of it. You get to enjoy the work that has been done, be present in the moment, and enjoy the relationships in your life. God has clearly indicated that we are created to do more than just work.
By design we are supposed to rest. But proportionally to the amount we work and with specific purpose. However, this can be abused in two different ways. Either we rest because we feel that it is a rule and a mandate we must follow or we rest too often without purpose. God does want us to rest with purpose, which is to enjoy the gift of life, like our families and friends, but also enjoy the relationship with Him. It restores us, provides clarity, removes busyness to allow us to strengthen our relationship with God. If you haven't truly tried to intentionally rest about one day per week, I highly recommend it.
Not only is it iblical but it also directly benefits our mental and physical health. The Sabbath significantly improves physical and mental health by reducing stress, lowering cortisol levels, and fostering better sleep. It promotes holistic well-being through community connection, spiritual reflection, and disconnection from technology. Studies show it leads to lower rates of burnout, depression, and anxiety.
So, going forward, consider rest. Like real intentional rest. Think of it as a family reset. A time to rest and reenergize. A time to re-prioritize your time. It is all about intentionality. Go for walks, pray, read, journal, watch movies with the kids. Try to do the things you want to do but never seem to find time throughout the week. Do the things that make you feel good, like truly good. Not doom scrolling, not stressing about the work you're not doing. Also try not to do it in isolation. Call some old friends, plan on walking with others and spending time connecting with family.
Restfully,
Cam
/