Rest, Resistance, and Repetition

Do you resist a much-needed break from your usual routine? Lara Patangan explores God's encouragement to take a day of rest.

I still remember the buzzy high that came from wearing a clean shirt or having a glass of Chardonnay on the rare occasions my husband and I went out without our young children. I felt besotted by the break from my daily devotion to mind-numbing tasks that felt like a Groundhog Day of shadows with no sleep. A few hours without kids felt like a fairytale.  

Yet, like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, all of the evening’s magic dissipated when we returned home to find our children running around like inebriated lunatics hopped up from a sugar binge administered by indulgent grandparents who ignored all carefully written instructions regarding treats and bedtimes.  

Almost wishing I had never transformed into my Cinderella self who was so filled with conceit about her clean shirt, the return to reality was immediately sobering. There were messes to clean and bedtime rituals to perform, and it all seemed harder than it did before I became reacquainted with any sort of respite.  

Years later, I no longer have to worry about bedtime schedules, and I’ve also come to appreciate the practicality of occasionally wearing a dirty shirt. Yet, for reasons that make me recall those coveted date nights that often ended in chaos, I still resist moments of rest.  

Resisting Spiritual Rest

Don’t get me wrong, I can nap with the best of the kittens. It’s spiritual rest that challenges me to stop the spin of to-dos and the illogical traversing of my monkey mind to rest in prayer. There have been countless studies on prayer’s benefits to reduce stress, increase self-control, strengthen relationships, and cultivate compassion and forgiveness. Those are among prayer’s many benefits. In short, everything works better when we pray — because prayer works.  

Knowing that spiritual rest would be beneficial to our sense of gratitude, purpose, and relationship with God and our families, it was carved into stone as one of the Ten Commandments, which were given to us as a means to encounter genuine freedom. This commandment, to keep Holy the Sabbath, also reveals how much God wants good things for us. It’s the spiritual equivalent of a loved one who insists you deserve a spa day — every Sunday. It’s a tenet that recognizes our hard work, suffering, and inherent dignity by commanding rest.  

Perhaps God commanded a day of rest because he knew that no matter how much it would benefit us, we would resist. For us, adrift with distractions in a sea of busyness, He knew it would be easy to let this important commandment sink to the bottom of our priorities. Yet God wants us to consistently spend time reflecting and reconnecting with Him — not just on Sundays, but in daily prayer.  

Most of us wouldn’t attempt to make it through our day without first checking our calendars to see what’s going to command our time that day. Daily prayer offers the same opportunity by attuning us to spiritual priorities that are more aligned with our purpose to love God and our neighbor, and that can’t be separated from the daily tasks that demand the day. Prayer fortifies us for the challenges we face and helps us understand worldly worries in the context of our heavenly objectives.  

Let Go and Be Present

Knowing all of this doesn’t always make it easy for me to settle down and focus on having meaningful conversation with God. Besides, you would have to be God to follow the acrobatic thoughts trapezing through my bobbly, wobbly head. Still, I’m trying to move past my reluctance to let go of all the things I need to do, or buy, or improve, or plant, or cook, or write, and just be present with Him.  

When my kids were small, returning from a break sometimes felt like being plunged into an ice bath. But even though all my tasks and to-dos will be waiting for me after time in prayer, I won’t be returning to chaos. I will be returning from rest, which feels even better than an occasion to wear a clean shirt.  

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