Being Intentional About Rest
Posted: July 18, 2015
We've all been there. Hurrying through our week. Working hard to make a living. And then, the weekend comes! Time to rest. Right?
Not right.
[caption id="attachment_161" align="alignleft" width="337"]
Intentional Rest[/caption]
Soul Fatigue[/caption]
One of the important needs for a soul is Rest. Rest helps to prevent "Soul Fatigue."
You can feel it. It's when things get sluggish. Cold. Stuck.
I found the book refreshing. I found the book thought provoking. Ortberg's thoughts were convicting.
I realized my Soul was yearning for Rest. And I began to choose to be intentional about finding Rest.
I look around me and I believe I am not alone in finding it difficult to find rest for my Soul. The culture we live in no longer values rest.
Once upon a time - and still in some regions today - we had Blue Laws. Blue Laws forbid certain activities on Sundays such as working or selling alcohol. If you're old enough, you can remember the days when stores were all closed on Sundays. People were forced to think ahead about what they might need to buy because the stores wouldn't be open.
We've come such a long way, haven't we? We can buy anything we want on Sundays. And if you work in the retail industry or service industry, it is expected for you to work on Sundays.
Yes. Indeed. We've come a long way.
But - How do we tell if we've actually gone too far? How do we tell if we've actually surpassed the capacity our souls need in order to run well in life?
How do we tell if we're starting to experience Soul Fatigue?
What if we do actually need Rest?
The United States is more obese than ever before. Is that because we're sloths or could it be part of the reason is we're no longer being intentional about getting R.E.S.T. for our weary souls?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not preaching AT anyone. I'm just thinking out loud - To a blog post -
Since the beginning of this year, 2015, I have been purposefully shutting everything down from Friday evening until Saturday evening.
[caption id="attachment_1178" align="alignright" width="300"]
Choosing Intentional Rest[/caption]
- Just for Rest -
And do you know what? I feel like I am swimming against the current of busyness. I have actually longed for the world around me to stop with me. My daughter still works. My husband has softball games. People need to meet with me. Chores always are screaming at me.
Rest is difficult to achieve.
I miss the days where the region around me rested. Don't get me wrong. I am still intentionally resting on most Friday evenings through Saturday evenings.
I have to. My Soul cries out if I don't Rest.
What about you? How do you Rest?
Or maybe you don't. Because. After all. We've come so far.
Haven't we?
Intentional Rest[/caption]
We've lost the "Intentional Rest" we used to practice as families. With the soccer games, swim team, softball practices, shopping and yard work. We have miscellaneous activities to accomplish on the weekends. Families have lost the ability to rest.
We've lost the importance of rest. Not very long ago, I got a hold of John Ortberg's book, 'Soul Keeping.' Ortberg talks about what it is to take care of the most important part of us. He describes what a Soul truly is - the very combination of our beings. Our will - mind - body - All within our Soul. Ortberg writes about his meetings with the professor of Philosophy at University of Southern California, speaker and author, Dallas Willard. Willard described the Soul as being these concentric circles of will, mind, body, soul all within each other. Ortberg quotes Dallas Willard as saying, "The soul is the capacity to integrate all the parts into a single, whole life. It is something like a program that runs a computer; you don't usually notice it unless it messes up." Ortberg talks about the need to take care of your soul as vital. Like taking care of the insides of a race car. If you want your Soul (will-mind-body) to function well, you'll have to make it a priority to give your Soul what it needs. [caption id="attachment_806" align="alignright" width="300"]
Soul Fatigue[/caption]
One of the important needs for a soul is Rest. Rest helps to prevent "Soul Fatigue."
You can feel it. It's when things get sluggish. Cold. Stuck.
I found the book refreshing. I found the book thought provoking. Ortberg's thoughts were convicting.
I realized my Soul was yearning for Rest. And I began to choose to be intentional about finding Rest.
I look around me and I believe I am not alone in finding it difficult to find rest for my Soul. The culture we live in no longer values rest.
Once upon a time - and still in some regions today - we had Blue Laws. Blue Laws forbid certain activities on Sundays such as working or selling alcohol. If you're old enough, you can remember the days when stores were all closed on Sundays. People were forced to think ahead about what they might need to buy because the stores wouldn't be open.
We've come such a long way, haven't we? We can buy anything we want on Sundays. And if you work in the retail industry or service industry, it is expected for you to work on Sundays.
Yes. Indeed. We've come a long way.
But - How do we tell if we've actually gone too far? How do we tell if we've actually surpassed the capacity our souls need in order to run well in life?
How do we tell if we're starting to experience Soul Fatigue?
What if we do actually need Rest?
The United States is more obese than ever before. Is that because we're sloths or could it be part of the reason is we're no longer being intentional about getting R.E.S.T. for our weary souls?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not preaching AT anyone. I'm just thinking out loud - To a blog post -
Since the beginning of this year, 2015, I have been purposefully shutting everything down from Friday evening until Saturday evening.
[caption id="attachment_1178" align="alignright" width="300"]
Choosing Intentional Rest[/caption]
- Just for Rest -
And do you know what? I feel like I am swimming against the current of busyness. I have actually longed for the world around me to stop with me. My daughter still works. My husband has softball games. People need to meet with me. Chores always are screaming at me.
Rest is difficult to achieve.
I miss the days where the region around me rested. Don't get me wrong. I am still intentionally resting on most Friday evenings through Saturday evenings.
I have to. My Soul cries out if I don't Rest.
What about you? How do you Rest?
Or maybe you don't. Because. After all. We've come so far.
Haven't we?
Just thoughts from the heart of a simple woman. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. And if you need professional counseling Monday thru Friday - I'm available. I'll be resting on Friday evening through Saturday evening, though. 530-268-3558 or kate@katepieperlmft.com