September Slow Down

 

The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.  Mark 6:31 (The Message)

 

What is your response to Jesus’ invitation to rest?  I am a Type A person who deeply desires to be needed and necessary, and I can twitch when I stop (or I end up falling asleep for a nap because of exhaustion).  To be refreshed and renewed with Christ is an invitation for us all.  And I know that Protestant Work ethic tyrant who lives in your brain says, “Humph, must be nice to rest when there are people who are working five jobs today!  Why should I rest?”  Our minds can be our own worst enemies when it comes to relaxing into God’s presence.  Our cultural aversion to being seen as “lazy” has led us to be addicted to hurry, and this is fed by the fact that your phone is now an appendage you can never be without.  I still remember when the phone hung on the wall in our home.  If it rang, you were not home, you wouldn’t know.  Then, of course, came the answer machine, pagers, and early handheld devices that are now causing us to all feel like we never get to rest.

 

Imagine, not just silencing your phone, but powering it down.  I see the cold sweat breaking out on your forehead!  Why do we let our human-made devices dictate our day and make demands on us more than Jesus’s savory pace? 

 

I encourage you to answer this question.  I know it makes me uncomfortable!  What if someone needs me?!?  They might have to leave a message.  They might have to wait upwards of half an hour while I pray or breathe or remember that grace is opposed to earning (it is unconditional).   Hold this tension.  As always, if you’d like to talk, let me know.  May the Sacred who calls the seventh day holy and for a ceasing of work get a word in edgewise to our chaotic world and souls this day.  Amen.  

September Slow Down

 

The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.  Mark 6:31 (The Message)

A question was once asked of Dallas Willard, “What do I need to do to be spiritually healthy?” His response was, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” 

 

At some point this week, take out your calendar for the last year.  Starting in January of 2025, write down experiences, events, and encounters that have filled your days.  This is what James K. Smith calls a “liturgical audit”.  Every person has a rhythm and routine in life.  I start my day with exercise, writing, pastoral visits, meetings, eating, and reading.  Those are major buckets each week (along with sleep).  Maybe for you, it is doctor’s appointments that take a few hours each week or volunteer opportunities.  Look in the rearview mirror of your year to see what has brought you to this moment.  Pay attention to special moments ~ like trips or guests who came to visit.  Next, write down the emotions you feel with each calendar item.  This might take a minute because you may not have thought much about your soul as you eat or when you attend that meeting.  My hunch is that in the cobwebbed corner of your shy soul, those emotions you feel have been tucked away waiting for you.  For example, does that meeting energize or exhaust you?  Does going to that event feel like you are going through the motions or fill you with the emotion of delight?  Finally, write down why you do each of these things.  Do you feel you have to?  Do you feel called to or passionate?  Maybe you have forgotten why you do this.  For my Type A friends, you can make a wonderful three-column chart out of this spiritual exercise.  For my artistic friends, you can use different colors as you write randomly across the page.  Do this in a way that brings a smile rather than a frown to your face. 

 

Finally, I invite you to rest.  Seriously, go take ten minutes to sit in your favorite spot in your home or park or coffee shop.  As a follower of Christ, Jesus’ words above are for you.  Take a break, get rest (remember there are 7 ways from last week), cease from the constant coming and going to breathe and be.  May this invitation breathe life into this day.  Amen. 

Friday Invitation

 

This weekend, I invite you to name which of the seven kinds of rest you need the most (see Monday’s post).  Maybe it is physical, so you take a nap.  Maybe it is emotional, so you stay off social media and limit your news consumption.  Maybe it is social or spiritual, so you will take some time to be with God on your own.  We need all seven, but trying to cram all seven into one day can be difficult.  So instead, focus on one for today, tomorrow, and Sunday. We will keep holding space in September to slow down to the Sacred’s speed to let our souls catch up. Amen.  

September Slow Down

 

Today, I invite you into a moment of silence.  In this silence, you won’t do anything.  You will focus on your breathing, each inhale and slow exhale.  When your mind interrupts and says you will be late to an appointment, breathe and thank your mind, but the appointment isn’t for another two hours.  Or when the ceiling fan clanks, thank it for cooling you off and focus on your breathing.  We all suffer from monkey mind, where our thoughts grab hold of the steering wheel and punch the emotional gas of life to 100 mph.  We need breaks to breathe and rest.  Remember, God rests.  This is a holy resistance in a culture addicted to hurry.  It is prophetic to say that you matter to God, not because of what you accomplished today, but because all matter matters to God.  Breathe with me today, the breath of God, filling you with the love we need.  Amen.  

September Slow Down

 

Yesterday, we engaged in a prayer practice of paying attention to our body, mind, and all the things going on around us.  Yesterday, we considered the information we received internally and externally.  Today, we turn to the responses and reactions we have ~ creative/intellectual and emotional.  Remember, you are a great scientific experiment.  There are chemical reactions happening inside you right now as you are reading.  You are having a response to these words.  Sometimes we need rest from always needing to have an opinion on everything. 

 

This can be difficult and demanding because the world around us seems to demand that we respond always.  You must form a thought about that event, and you must honestly name your emotion for everything.  Maybe we don’t need to say something about someone’s post and picture of their dinner.  I can be glad they are eating, but does everything warrant a comment and commentary from me?  It can be exhausting to spend our lives on this treadmill.  God steps off and steps away from creating. 

 

To rest our minds and hearts is to open space for the Sacred.  Remember the descriptions from Monday:

 

Creative ~ we stop trying to come up with clever ideas or brilliant insights; rather, we receive.  To rest creatively is to cease believing the lie that it is better to give than receive; instead, open your hands.

 

Emotional ~ we live in a culture that loves to fan the flames of outrage and where we race around believing that only we can prevent forest fires.  Emotional rest calls you to slow down long enough to listen to your heart and pay attention to what is stirring in there.

 

Can you imagine a moment today when you don’t respond to something?  Pro tip: I would not encourage you to start this prayer practice with the news.  Rather, pick up a book you are reading or from your shelf, read a few sentences, and practice just receiving rather than reacting.  Let the words wash in and out, like waves you are watching roll in on the beach.  This takes time.  Our culture has James Bond-villain level creativity at pushing our buttons.  Read something, notice what you are feeling, but don’t race off to write a letter to the editor or comment.  Breathe and be.  If you want to level up, here is another prayer practice.  Respond to an email, but DO NOT send it.  Walk away for at least two hours, go do something you enjoy or take a nap.  Then, come back and read aloud, imagining you are saying the words right to the person’s face.  How does the email sound now?  To be sure, this takes time and practice.  Be gentle with yourself and find moments to rest your mind and heart in God’s sacred spaciousness.  Amen. 

September Slow Down

 

As we continue to consider the seven ways of rest (physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual), I invite you to draw a stick figure.  The more primitive, the better!  You can use a pencil, crayon, or whatever writing instrument you have handy.  After your amateur Picasso figure is ready, I want you to scan your body from the top of your head to your pinkie toe.  I encourage you to pay attention to where there are aches and pains ~ perhaps in your shoulders or legs.  Is there a muscle in your body that feels particularly strained or stressed?  Gentle touch where there is a knot in your body, and record that space on your paper.  Now, next to your stick figure head, I invite you to list what is racing and running around like a hamster on a wheel.  Note, this should include good, bad, and that you need to pick up milk today from the store.  Get it all out on the paper next to your wonderful, oblong-shaped head you drew.  Now, what are you seeing, hearing, tasting, and sensing?  Look around the room. What brings you joy or frustration in the room?  For example, I get frustrated by the clutter on my desk, can feel the wind from the ceiling fan on my skin, and hear a bird chirping outside my window. 

 

After you’ve done this, take a few deep breaths.  To be sure, this practice won’t solve everything in your life.  But you have started the day by noticing that your body is carrying a lot right now.  My hunch is your paper is full, especially around the mind/head you drew.  Given all the signals that are sent to us, both internally and externally, we need to take the time to write down what is in the backpack we are lugging around, causing us to hunch over.  How might you share with God?  Is there something God is asking you to let go of your tight grasp of certainty on?  May this prayer practice remind you that slowing down, resting, often means first needing to notice all the chaos in and around us.  Remember, God creates with chaos when we let the Sacred stir over the waters of our life. Amen.

September Slow Down

 

On the seventh day…God rested. ~ Genesis 2:4

 

What images come into your mind when you think of “rest”?  Maybe lounging on a beach with a book in your hand or hanging out in a hammock?  Rest can be hiking, talking to a friend, or taking a cooking class.  Rest is not only stopping physical movement and forcing yourself to sit down in a chair, although that is needed.  There are many forms of rest, but we tend to think primarily of the physical expression of this word.  We live in a hustle and bustle culture that worships at the altar of busyness.  We want to be needed and necessary, filling our calendars each day until we fall exhausted into bed.  When this doesn’t happen (either because we are unable to physically keep on keeping on or because we struggle to find expressions for our energy), we can tend to judge ourselves or call ourselves names we would never speak aloud to a friend.  We base our worth not on being God’s beloved, but on what we tick off our to-do list.  We are addicted to our own busyness.  Recent research reveals we need seven forms of rest.  These include:

 

Physical ~ this need not be seen as passive or sleeping.  You can physically rest while doing light yoga and stretching can help our bodies unwind the tension we all carry.

 

Mental ~ we consume more information than any previous generation, and our minds suffer from overload.  I am surprised that smoke doesn’t billow out of our ears.

 

Sensory ~ we live in a noisy world with dinging notifications on your phone with its bright screen.  We need to step away and find a sacred silence.

 

Creative ~ we stop trying to come up with clever ideas or brilliant insights, rather, we receive.  To rest creatively is to cease believing the lie that it is better to give than receive; instead, open your hands to the Creator’s offering and presence.

 

Emotional ~ we live in a culture that fans the flames of outrage, and we race around believing that only we can prevent forest fires.  Emotional rest is slowing down long enough to listen to your heart and pay attention to what is stirring in there.

 

Social ~ there is a difference between solitude and loneliness.  Solitude is the decision to be by yourself; loneliness is when you crave companionship and can’t find it.  We need moments to be with ourselves, away from others. 

 

Spiritual ~ to breathe and be held by your belovedness in God.  This can include rest from prayer practices, especially if you find yourself going through the motions.

 

Did any of the above surprise you?  Did any stand out to you as a form of rest you need?  How may you schedule your calendar and practice one of the above forms of rest this week?  Don’t worry if you don’t have a whole list of ideas; we will keep coming back to these forms of rest this week.  May God, who blessed rest in all its fullness, bless you today with ways to breathe and be.  Amen.