Rest Is Holy
The phone keeps buzzing. Someone needs help. There’s another bill, another meeting, another job waiting to be done. Even when we sit down, our minds can keep running.
Then Scripture gives us something we struggle to give ourselves: permission to stop.
“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” Genesis 2:3, NIV
Rest belongs within the goodness of God’s creation. For us, receiving it takes trust: the world remains in God’s hands when we put down our tools.
We are loved before we have finished the jobs list.
St Augustine understood how deeply our restlessness runs: “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Confessions, Book I, chapter 1
You can clear your to do list and still carry a crowded heart. Worry, resentment and the need to prove yourself can follow you into every quiet room. Augustine points us towards the One in whom our hearts find their home.
Jesus also cared about his disciples’ physical exhaustion. With people coming and going so constantly that they could barely eat, he told them:
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31, NIV
Those words belong in our ministries, our kitchens and our workplaces. The person feeding others needs to eat. The person listening to everyone else needs space to pray.
St John Chrysostom added another dimension: “Let us rest a spiritual rest, refraining our hands from covetousness.” Homily 39 on Matthew, section 4
His challenge reaches beyond taking a break. It asks us to loosen our grip on the endless hunger for more: more possessions, more recognition, more control.
Here in the Urban Friar life, we want to show up where people hurt. Cook the meal. Listen carefully. Share Jesus. That calling also needs room for worship, friendship and rest.
So Today’s challenge:
Put the phone aside for a while. Leave one unnecessary task until tomorrow. Take a walk, share an unhurried meal. Then sit quietly before God. If you’re looking after others and can’t take a long break, rest for a few minutes when you can.
Lay down the tools. Quiet the noise. Let your body and soul breathe.
Lord Jesus, help us trust you with what remains unfinished. Give rest to our bodies, peace to our minds, and hearts ready to receive your love. Amen.
Bad Boy Turned Good
From the streets, for the streets, for Jesus.
