Blessings for Rest
We are coming to the end of the summer season and gearing up for fall. The leaves will change, the rains will return, the air will smell sweet, the animals will begin eagerly gathering all they need for the winter months. In this liminal time it’s important to remember who we are and who we were created to be.
I’ve been reading blessings written by Meta Herrick Carlson. She offers the following blessing for rest.
For Rest
Meta Herrick Carlson
Ordinary Blessings: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Everyday Life
The world hustles and benefits
from a cruel lie -
idleness must be earned.
It is reserved for the privileged
who have achieved some success.
A reward only after
everything has been given or taken.
But our bodies and souls know better.
They remember the seventh day of creation,
the generation of rest,
the rhythm of a holy pause
before there could be more living.
When we rest we call out the lie
for the sake of those fooled
into thinking they are too powerful to rest,
for the sake of those who are unsafe
when they pause for peace.
When we rest we can remember
it is not a reward but an essential beat,
for in our stopping, we witness
what God is doing inside and way beyond us.
We live in a culture that extols work and busy-ness as markers of success. The more meetings you have on the calendar, the more coffee you need to survive a day, the more activities you do after work, the better you are.
It’s a myth. It’s a lie. Don’t believe it.
Rest is crucial, critical to our recovery and survival. Rest is necessary for us to become who we may become, leaning into who we are with the fullness of ourselves – not the wholly caffeinated, over-booked, over-scheduled, weary versions of ourselves.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that there is one scripture that speaks to me: the passage in 1 Kings where Elijah, exhausted and distraught, yells at God for not caring for him. Elijah lays down and takes a rest, then an angel wakes him up and offers him something to eat. Elijah is then able to think clearly and carry on his tasks. He cannot do this, however, without that snack and rest.
I love Carlson’s blessing for rest. They remind us that rest is not something that is earned. We don’t need to work harder in order for sabbath to be needed. In fact, when we are faced with challenging tasks that take lots of time to complete, rest may be the thing that we need in order to take the next step forward.
Carlson gives us permission to not earn the rest. Simply take the rest. Rest is an act of resistance. Rest is a way of telling the world that you are going to take a break for a moment, even a short moment. It is a way of reclaiming what has always been ours.
God has modeled rest for us from the beginning. On the last day of creation, God rested. God could have made more things, could have done some additional tending to the garden, maybe even spent more time with those they created. Instead of all of this, though, God rested.
God knew that the days ahead would be long and there would be time to do all the things they needed to do. God knew the things they created would be just fine, even thrive, without someone constantly supervising them. God knew the value of taking a moment to sit back, kick up your feet, and have time to simply reflect on the goodness and hardness of life.
Life is fragile and gritty and messy. Life requires that we take a moment to “be at peace and simply be.” To do life well, we must take a moment to take a break.
So, friends, I invite you to a period of rest. Breathe in deeply of the goodness of God. Lean into that which gives you life. Pick up a hobby you haven’t explored in a while. Call up an old friend. Go on a long walk. Take a good, long nap.
Take that rest time, because Rally Day is coming and we are gearing up for the fall. Keep an eye on different ways you can be involved in the discipleship life of the church. There are so many fun ways to engage – and I hope to see you there!
Yours in Community,
Rev. Rachel