WWJD? (Hint: He would rest!)
About two years ago, I remember being at church struggling to focus on the service. The praise team was singing, the worship leader prayed, and yet my mind kept drifting to my LLC.
“Focus, Shayla!” I frequently scolded myself. “You should be paying attention to service, not thinking about your business.”
By at least the third or fourth scolding, I decided to give in. I said a quiet prayer to God acknowledging that although I was trying to focus on the service, my mind kept drifting to my business. I asked for grace and forgiveness, and I also asked Him to make it clear to me if there was something I was supposed to receive.
Not long after, our pastor walked on stage wearing a sweatshirt that read, “Jesus took naps. Be like Jesus.” The smile that crossed my face…. “Okay Jesus, I receive it. Now I know why my mind kept drifting.”
The message that Sunday was about rest which is something I clearly am invested in.
Jesus Rested
As The Rest Doctor, one of the many things I love to do is to identify easily accessible examples of rest that are often overlooked. One of them is Jesus.
As a Christian who was raised Baptist, when I think of Jesus, I not only think about the miracles he performed, but I also think about his love, grace, kindness, generosity, and self-sacrifice. It is his character that I admire and work hard to emulate. Admittedly, it wasn’t until this church service two years ago that I acknowledged that he rested, and it was only two months ago that I began looking for biblical references of how and when Jesus rested.
Jesus would rest after long journeys (John 4:6) and after preaching to crowds of people (Luke 5:16). Jesus not only rested, but slept, during highly stressful times (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41). And yes, like many of us, sometimes Jesus’ rest was interrupted by his self-sacrificial nature of prioritizing others above himself (Mark 6:32-34). But Jesus still rested!
Be Like Jesus, Even if You aren’t Christian
As a member of the Christian faith, I was always taught to be like Jesus. But even if you do not align with Christianity (or any other religion for that matter), there are still lessons we can take from these ideologies. For instance, did you know that “going with the flow” stems from Buddhism? Going with the flow endorses the idea that when we fight against life’s challenges we only increase our stress. But if we recognize, name, and validate what is happening, we are more inclined to move with it and be resourceful compared to using our energy to ignore it or pretend like it isn’t happening.
So when I say “be like Jesus,” yes, I am hoping that others will embrace his love, wisdom, focus, and gentleness, but I also hope they remember to rest. Jesus was without sin; he was perfect. But even in his perfection, he still chose to rest. If Jesus can rest without shame, if his rest was modeled to us multiple times in the Bible, should we not also learn to rest?
Final Thoughts and Call to Action
The purpose of this blog post is not to force my religious and spiritual beliefs onto anyone, but instead to highlight some valuable life lessons that are recorded in history. Jesus is a role model for rest in the same way that we can look to other non-spiritual examples for guidance. However, in my time as The Rest Doctor, I have noticed a trend that high-achieving professionals and spiritual believers alike often feel the need to defend, justify, or minimize their need for rest. This blog post hopefully serves as a reminder that this is not necessary.
So how do you get started? It’s easy in theory and pragmatically, but don’t be surprised if you need some practice. Simply walk away from whatever you are doing and go engage in something more enjoyable; something that helps you unplug and relax, even if it means lying on the ground staring up at nothing. Practice getting used to the discomfort of doing less because that’s how we invite rest into our lives. And if you want more guided support, schedule your Pick My Brain session so we can talk about this in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a Christian to identify with Jesus and rest?
No, of course not. Rest is available to anyone who makes the choice. In this post, I use Jesus as an example of someone who models rest. If Jesus can rest, so can we.
How can I learn to rest?
I started by carving out time to do nothing, literally. I was too exhausted from my daily life to find an enjoyable activity so I did literally nothing. In time, I got bored and used that boredom to find activities I enjoy (i.e., diamond art, leisurely walks, candlelight showers, etc.).
You make rest sound easy but I’m pretty sure I need more guidance. Can you help?
Of course, I would be glad to! If you are looking for individualized support, book a Pick My Brain session by clicking here. If you are in a leadership or human resources position and feel your team or community would benefit from this perspective, schedule your free consultation by clicking here.
