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Tami Kiser considers the importance of finding spiritual rest at the feet of Jesus.

It seems that everyone is talking about anxiety. I guess that is because all of us are experiencing it. We have it. Our spouses have it. And even our children have it. Therapists and counselors are busier than ever before. Part of the solution which is in everyone’s cure is to get rest. Everyone can agree on this: Rest is good for dealing with your anxiety. But what is meant by rest? 

Knowing that rest is not only a medical help for anxiety, but also the Christian’s path, I decided to do a recent presentation on rest. As I was preparing my talk, I googled acronyms for the word REST to see if anyone out there had some great insight that could be easily taught and remembered this way. I found REST: Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique. This is the term they use for the experience of being put in large, enclosed tubs of water, in darkness, and you basically just float. We had one of these “spas” open in our city last year. Yes, I will admit that would be very restful. It would be like a long bath without anyone knocking on the door asking where his shoes are or what’s for dinner. Restful indeed. But not what I was looking for as a teaching illustration. 

I like this “healthy” self-care acronym for REST: Re-hydrate, Eat healthy, Step outside, Talk to somebody. And while I do agree with all of these steps to self-care, I just don’t think they are all that we as Christians need when it comes to rest. 

What is it that you think of when you think of rest? Here are some things that come to my mind: REST -- Read, Eat chocolate, Sleep, and Twaddle (meaning waste time on dumb things). 

Although these are all fine and good, we know that they will only provide rest for the moment; there is a deeper rest that is needed. In the Mary/Martha story, we see that Martha is the anxious one, not at rest. Mary, on the other hand, had found that rest. She’s found that peace that comes with being with our Lord and Savior. Her posture even suggests this. She is sitting. She is at rest. 

Can we sit and not be at rest? You bet. Sitting and all of these other external activities from floating in a tub of warm water to reading a book and eating chocolate can help us feel at rest. They are restful. They are needed. And these “activities” are how our culture defines rest for us. 

But we know these are not lasting. And they won’t cure anxiety. 

 

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We read this in Scripture:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)

 

See, Jesus leaves us His peace -- which I think we can say is the same as being “at rest” but it is not the same as what the world gives us. It is not the acronyms that we can find online that have to do with relaxing or eating or floating in a tub of water. It’s Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus absorbed in His love, not worrying about the dishes that have to be done. That is the peace that Jesus gives us.

With this in mind, I came up with my own acronym for the word REST. Relying Entirely on our Savior’s Timing. This REST is the cure for anxiety.

 

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Think about it for a minute. When do you start to feel stressed? When do you get upset?

Here’s an example: I’m making dinner in the kitchen. My husband is late. My teenage son calls and says he won’t make it home for dinner at all, but is going to his girlfriend’s house. And finally, I am out of salt.

I am bubbling and boiling up inside: “Why can’t my husband be more respectful of me and try to be on time? And why does my son have to spend so much time with his girlfriend? Will her parents be home? Should he be in this kind of relationship in high school? And how could I run out of salt? I’m so disorganized."

In this situation, can you see how a little rest can ease this anxiety? Sure, at this time of day, I may need a little rest, reading a magazine, a walk outside, but what I really need is REST -- Relying Entirely on our Savior’s Timing.

Do I really trust that God has everything under control? Sure, I may need to take care of the teen’s girlfriend situation, but once I make a decision about it, I’ve got to just trust and not stew.

Remember what St. Paul tells us:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7)

 

God will take care of us. He always answers our prayers. This is one thing I like about this definition of rest: It’s not our timing that matters, it’s God’s timing. And we just need to always trust that His timing is the best -- because it is!

 

Click to tweet:
It’s not our timing that matters, it’s God’s timing. And we just need to always trust that His timing is the best -- because it is! #catholicmom

I’ll end with this powerful advice from St. Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing perturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.”

Just be patient. Rely Entirely on our Savior’s Timing.

 

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Copyright 2021 Tami Kiser
Images: (top) Canva Pro; all others copyright 2021 Tami Kiser, all rights reserved.