Out of Office and Unavailable
Jesus on: Rest
There’s a popular tale told among contemplatives that goes like this: A Rabbi saw a man running in the street and he asked him, “Why do you run?” He replied, “I am running after my good fortune!” The Rabbi responds, “Silly man, your good fortune has been trying to chase you, but you are running too fast!”*
Oh, how I can relate.
…
There was a moment when I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I remember almost feeling like I was living in an existential reality—like my mind was watching a movie of my life from a 3rd person point of view and the feeling that overcame me as I watched wasn’t what I expected: it was sadness.
It was 1:30 a.m. on a Saturday Night. I was getting up early to be at the church in the morning and was going to be preaching that night. A long week had turned into a long night which preceded another long day.
But I just couldn’t rest.
It was the height of the 2020 presidential election cycle, and I felt like sleep would lead to missing out on the next piece of information that I had to consume. So, I clicked out of one of the 17 tabs I had open from different news sites, sports sites and shopping sites and aimlessly surfed as I gathered one piece of information after another.
Amidst the onslaught of information, I discovered the capacity to purchase a pair of aviator sunglasses from Amazon that I didn’t need but convinced myself I did.
Finally, I gave it a break and decided to shut my eyes. As I did, I sensed my mind reenter my body as this feeling of sadness, emptiness, loneliness, and shear exhaustion became all-consuming.
Is this all there is?
…
There’s no doubt that Jesus’ life was one of incredible accomplishment. As the Scriptures say, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”[1]
And yet, what I’m struck by most is what Jesus didn’t do. Jesus had a fundamental understanding of rest that filtered every decision that he made. I’ll use one story of many throughout the Gospels that exemplifies this. This example comes from Mark 1.
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.[2]
For hours on end, all through the night, Jesus is overwhelmed by swarms of stories of hurt, disease, brokenness, and pain. Yet, very early in the morning, Jesus gets up, leaves the house, and goes off to a solitary place to pray—to be alone, to be refreshed, to rest.
The rest doesn’t last long however as,
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.[3]
I’m in awe of Jesus’ self-awareness, composure, and commitment in this passage. There’s so much truth to take from Jesus on rest, but I want to highlight just a few. There’s a reason Jesus says,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.[4]
Jesus had the authority to say this not just because of who he is but because of how he lived. Jesus lived his life—a life that for 3 years was frantic, fast paced and taxing—filtered through the lens of rest.
Perhaps today, you’ve stumbled upon this reading and you find yourself spent. Maybe you’ve become a slave to the information overload that our devices convince us must be our reality. Maybe you woke up today asking the question, “how did I get here?” Perhaps you’re surrounded by stuff you don’t need, people who don’t care or deadlines you can’t meet and you’re ready for reprieve.
Whatever the case, let me ask you:
Are you tired?
Are you weary?
Are you burnt out?
Are you ready to experience life—a better life?
Are you ready for a fresh start?
Come to Jesus, he will give you rest. Allow him to show you how. Here are 3 takeaways from Jesus’ life on rest.
1. Act in Long Obedience
Every day, we’re met with thousands of messages that attempt to convince us that to be the person we want to be, were meant to be, or are supposed to be, we must have this product, this package, this program now. Daily, another person haphazardly discovers instant fame as another Tik Tok or Instagram Reel goes viral making us believe that to matter, we must strive for the same. Or perhaps, an alert comes across our phone with a low balance in our checking account, reminding us that to matter, to live the good life, we must hustle and hurry our way through life to accumulate as much wealth as possible so that we can change our fortunes TODAY.
All these advertisements and sales pitches seek to bend reality in our favor that life circumstances can be and should be flipped like a switch. Yet Jesus shows us a different way—a healthy way.
As the Savior of the world, Jesus had every right to announce himself—his Lordship and his divinity—whenever he wanted. And yet, he waits 30 years. Why?
Eugene Peterson is credited with coining the term, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.[5] His premise is that our call as followers of Jesus is to live life in such a way that we make right choices every day that allow us to grow in maturity and righteousness.
I believe this is Jesus’ model of living that offers freedom for rest to take place. See, society says that who we want to be should be who we are TODAY—and we can use this product or program to get us there now. Jesus, however, says that daily, we are becoming.
In other words, instead of offering us a product or program, Jesus offers us a process—one that he embarked on himself. It’s a process of growth, of discipline, of maturation, of hardship and adversity, of sharpening, of healing, restoration, temptation, victory and ultimately, discovery.
In this process, Jesus is made whole. In this process, we—through Jesus—can also be made whole, “mature and complete” as the Apostle James says.[6]
However, this process is not instant. For Jesus, it took 30 years before he was ready to step into his true calling. For 30 years, Jesus remained in anonymity and obscurity. For three decades, Jesus built and honed disciplines, practices, and rhythms that allowed him to withstand the busyness, the temptations, and the demands his life required of him.
Jesus knew with full confidence of the call that his Father God had placed on his life. Yet, his commitment to long obedience provided margin for Jesus to not feel pressured to accomplish all he was destined to accomplish in a single day, week, month, or year. Instead, Jesus took his time. He was slow. He was present. Why? Because he wasn’t in a rush. He trusted that in God’s perfect timing—all that he needed to do would be done.
Perhaps for you, you find yourself in a season where you wish that you could be in your boss’ seat so that you could lead effectively. Maybe you have little kids and you wish they were older so you could be freed up to pursue other passions than just parenting. Maybe you’re driving a junker car and long for the day you could drive a vehicle that works correctly so you didn’t have such a financial strain. None of these things are inherently bad, but they’re also not necessary to be corrected today. My friend, your job—today—is to simply be obedient to what God has entrusted you with. There’s no need to strive, no need to scratch and claw because one day—in God’s perfect timing—all that is required of the life you are to live will be given to you.
Rest in the grace of long obedience.
2. Jesus Embraced Limits
There are moments all throughout Jesus’ ministry where we see Jesus embrace the power of limits. Yet another paradox to the life many believe would leave to a, “thriving life.” Yet Jesus, fully God and fully man, embraced his limits as an opportunity remain focused on the mission set before him. Let’s pick back up in the story of Mark 1 and watch as Jesus’ limits allow him to stay on course with his God-given mission:
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.[7]
It’s moments like this where I’m so thankful that I’m not Jesus. In this moment, we see Jesus’ disciples interrupt a period of solitude with utter contempt.
Jesus, where are you?!
Jesus, what are you doing?!
Jesus, did you SEE that?! Did you see what you did?! We must go back! The people LOVE us, Jesus!
I’m a people-pleaser by nature. My natural inclination would have been to give in and to go back. Who wouldn’t go where they’re loved and appreciated? And yet, after a night full of healings and miracles, Jesus recognizes his limitations and declines.
Instead, he says, “let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Here’s why I love this so much: Jesus allowed his limits to free him from the grip of approval. To be the center of attention, to be the one that everyone is looking for, that everyone needs, that has to feel good! Who would want to give up such fame and popularity?
But Jesus knows that the pace at which he had been living was unsustainable. In this moment, Jesus’ limits became the permission he needed to move on.
Perhaps today, you find yourself juggling far too much. Maybe you’re attempting to do it all so that others will like, respect, or appreciate you. And in the midst of it all, your ability to make decisions has crumbled.
What if what’s missing in your life is an ability to admit that you’re not who you think you are? What if what’s missing is the humility to realize the limits of your humanity? And what if that realization is what’s holding you back from discovering the freedom of rest that Jesus offers?
See, Jesus was everything we are not. He did everything we couldn’t. And yet, he still found time to say no and submit to human limitations. Why do we believe that we aren’t to do the same?
May today be the day that you accept the limits of your life and find the rest your soul has been desperately longing for.
In our limitations, yet another gift is given to us…
3. Rest Restores Priorities
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.[8]
Notice that Jesus’ response to his disciples isn’t just a submission to limits but it’s a reclarification of mission and purpose. The disciples are focused on Jesus returning to the village to heal more people. Yet, upon returning from the eremós—(Greek for “desolate place” or “lonely place)—this place of rest, Jesus has a clear focus for what God has called him to do.
Often, our desire to push past our limits ends up crumbling our priorities. When our priorities are unaligned, eventually our rhythms, practices, habits and very souls become unaligned. Taking time to pause, slow down, and reflect allows for our souls to catch up to our bodies or vis versa. We need time and space to regather and refocus ourselves.
When we’re tired, we’re often prone to make bad decisions. I don’t think anyone would have blamed Jesus for returning to the village celebrating him. In fact, I think many would have seen that as the logical conclusion to this story. And yet, after spending time in solitude, Jesus’ heart and soul are restored with the God-given purpose he is to fulfill. With that, a quiet confidence is instilled in Jesus that allows him to make a decision many—if not all—didn’t agree with.
This isn’t the first or last time that we see Jesus make decisions that people don’t agree with.
John the Baptist doesn’t agree that he should be the one to baptize Jesus.
The Disciples don’t understand why Jesus has to die on a cross.
Many are disappointed that Jesus doesn’t overthrow Rome as the Savior of the world.
It’s in these moments that I’m convinced the resolve Jesus shows stems from many moments spent in solitude refining and refocusing on the true purpose for his life.
Perhaps today, you find yourself stuck and at your wits end with respect to your job, assignment, or role. Can I encourage you today? Take a breath. Inhale. Exhale. Rest.
Take a moment right now to simply be still—allow your body, mind, and soul to slow down and catch up. When you feel like you’re in a healthy space, begin to reflect on the current state of your life: What do you like about it? What do you not like? What do you want to change? What can or can’t change? What can you do?
The ability to create regular space to reflect and answer hard, introspective questions could be what’s keeping you from stepping into the future God intends for you to step into.
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Is this all there is?
Upon awaking the next morning after my late-night shopping excursion, I resolved that some permanent changes needed to be made in my life.
Up to this point in my life, I had made some radical, healthy shifts over the course of three months and entered the 2020 election season—I felt—in a healthy place. However, I quickly allowed the circumstances and current moment to dictate my determination in remaining faithful to some of my newfound practices.
This time—I declared—would be different. No longer would the principles and values of my life ebb and flow with the circumstances of life. The life of Jesus shows me a man who remained committed no matter what was happening in his life. It was with this in mind that I began carving out rhythms and practices that would keep me anchored—not only through the 2020 election cycle—but amidst all of life’s stormy seasons.
It was that morning that I committed to implementing practices of rest that would keep the health of my soul, my marriage, and my apprenticeship to Jesus in the proper place of priorities.
My life would never be the same. Yours won’t be either if you commit to studying and applying these rhythms into your daily and weekly routine.
So again, I ask you:
Are you tired?
Are you weary?
Are you burnt out?
Are you ready to experience life—a better life?
Are you ready for a fresh start?
Come to Jesus, he will give you rest. Here’s how…
1. Sabbath
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth…
If you’ve ever opened a Bible, you know these are the words first penned on a page of the Holy Scriptures. It’s the first verse in the Bible and precedes what’s widely known as the creation story: The story of how something came from nothing.
Yet, the reality is that in that nothing, was something. It was God. And at one point in time, he decided to create something from nothing. In the process, we see the galaxy, the sun and the moon, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea and everything in between formed from nothing. Finally, human beings are formed—man from the dust and woman from the rib of the man—and creation is complete…or, so we think.
In 6 days, God creates everything from nothing, and creation is complete—except it isn’t.
Why?
Because “by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”[9]
From the beginning of time, God instills the rhythm of life that is seen in all of creation: work and rest. This rhythm manifests in infinite ways—awake and asleep, day and night, winter, and spring, growing and dormant, alert and hibernating, or—my favorite—inhale and exhale.
As author Wayne Muller says so eloquently in his book, Sabbath, “The creation of the world was like the life-quickening inhale; the Sabbath is the exhale.”[10]
The creation story recounts this pattern where inhaling—working, creating, designing, manifesting—and exhaling—rest—is present.
And yet, for so many of us in our modern world, the art of rest is a lost one. We live in a world where we are constantly inundated by noise, busyness, and hurry. The constant barrage of digital marketing mixed with the thousands of messages that convince us to take actions which blur the lines of life into a constant inhale.
Is there another way? There must be another way.
What if I told there is? That the “other” way is actually the natural way God intended for us to live?
We are not only creatures of habit, but we are also creatures of rhythm. We are at our best when we live life in the sway of work and rest, active and dormant, available and unavailable, awake and asleep. The more this balance is pursued, the healthier we become. Notice, “balance” here is a relative term. God doesn’t command us to rest 3.5 days and work 3.5 days. It’s not an even split.
He simply asks for a day.
A day where we cease all working, all striving, all climbing and rest. A day we set aside to partake in practices that bring glory and honor to God and rest to our souls. This can look and feel a myriad of different ways. There’s no right way to do it!
You can Sabbath on Saturdays as the Jewish Tradition teaches, or Sundays as the American Tradition does or any other day as the YOU tradition allows. You can Sabbath with or without technology, with or without people, with or without travel. The point isn’t to restrict yourself but to free yourself from the restrictions of our modern age. Perhaps this does mean that you need to aside all electronics for a day, or maybe you need to turn off email for an entire 24-hour period, maybe you need to fast from food as a reminder that your body doesn’t worship and serve food but God alone. Whatever the case, craft a day—a full 24-hour period—that brings God glory and you rest.
This could mean long, uninterrupted walks, it could mean naps or sleeping in with no alarm, grabbing a book and sitting by window with no timer, partaking in a movie marathon, preparing, and sharing a meal with friends who bring joy to your soul. The possibilities—I hope you can see, my friend—are endless. Take some time to craft a day committed to rest for your soul and devotion to God.
Here’s an example from my own life of how this has played out in our family—I share this with you not as a model to follow or copy but hopefully as a template of inspiration as others have done for Rylei and I:
Almost every Friday Night is set aside for dinner with “friends.” This could be close friends or acquaintances; it could be hosting in our home or out to eat. The point is that Rylei loves to host and exercise hospitality and I love to eat good food and commune with people. We begin the meal with a prayer and—if at home—a lighting of the Shabbat[11] candle, a candle with a sweet scent that burns slowly, which acts as a physical manifestation for what our Sabbath is—slow, unhurried, and sweet. Our time with friends is unrushed and we seek to laugh as much as possible.
In the morning, no alarms are set, and the mornings are slow and quiet. My phone is turned off as I seek to unplug from the demands of day-to-day life. Our time with the Lord is unrushed and takes as long as it needs to. In the afternoon, we take long walks, enjoy conversation and connection, go on hikes, read books, or watch movies. That evening, as our Sabbath ends, we begin preparations for the week so that we’re in the best headspace possible for the new week.
Notice there are no time stamps and no hard or fast rules. The Sabbath is meant to be the best day of the week! A day of wonder, of exhale, of surprise, and delight. The way we Sabbath is not the way you should, and it’s certainly not the way many of my mentors do. But, it’s a day that’s devoted to God and brings life to us.
If you haven’t yet, begin this week to give yourself permission to rest for a 24-hour period. To carve out a day that’s devoted to God and committed to rest for your weary soul. Disconnect. Unplug. Retreat. There’s no need to ask permission as it was granted to you when the earth was first formed.
Follow the lead of Jesus and take a Shabbat rest.
2. Digital Rule of Life
A few months ago, I taught a bit on the practice of developing a Rule of Life. This is a practice first developed by the Desert Fathers and Mothers—early contemplatives who retreated to the desert to live in extreme devotion to the Way of Jesus.
In our modern age, many present-day sages and spiritual leaders who follow the Way of Jesus have taken what the Desert Fathers and Mothers taught us and have reoriented the practice of a Rule of Life through a digital lens. This then, is where we get the term a, “Digital Rule of Life.”
A Digital Rule of Life works similarly to a Rule of Life in that it’s a set of practices and rhythms that aid in one’s apprenticeship to Jesus. A Digital Rule of Life seeks to allow a person to control their device rather than their device controlling them.
Many of us are subconsciously addicted and tethered to our devices. In this, our ability to be present and commune with, to love God and others as ourselves has severely diminished. A Digital Rule of Life has sought to restore discipline in our ability to unplug, detach and regrasp what it means to be in real, genuine, authentic community. The practice goes like this:
Take some time to be still and reflect on your current digital habits. Are you ruling your devices or are your devices ruling you? Are you tethered to technology? Can you willfully and freely disconnect from the constant “connection” that technology affords?
Assess where you are and begin to cultivate rhythms or practices that allow you to create better habits with respect to your technology use. Here are a few examples:
Set a period of time that are “technology-free” hours. Perhaps from 10pm-8am, you choose to not be on your devices.
Turn notifications off. Access your phone only when you need it, not when it needs you.
No phone at the dinner table.
Set times to check email or text messages.
News intake is done by cross referencing multiple, accredited websites.
These are just a few examples of ways that you can implement a Digital Rule of Life to free up more margin for true rest to take place.
3. Daily Rest
Perhaps the easiest, most practical rhythm you can begin implementing today is simply of habit of finding daily rest. Every day, we have an opportunity to “carpe diem” or seize the day or allow the day to passively happen to us. What will you choose?
There are a few habits or practices that can aid us in seizing daily rest. For instance, what if you began “scheduling” 15 minutes of rest each day? Every day, at 3 p.m. was your time to take a moment to debrief, relax, do some breathing, reading, or meditating—to just be. A practice like this could significantly alter the overall feel of your days.
Maybe it’s smaller than 15 minutes, perhaps it’s simply instituting one time during the day to stop and take 3 deep breaths. Wayne Muller talks about this in his book Sabbath and says, “
Another way to find daily rest is to pick one activity that brings life to you and to prioritize that within your daily routine. For me, a daily walk has become a must. It’s a way to disconnect and to dissociate work and productivity with rest and presence. During my daily walk, I can decompress, talk to God, enjoy nature, and slow my mind down. It’s an activity I’ve come to crave.
This week, pick one activity that brings your life and commit to implementing it into your daily routine for 7 days. Then, reassess and see how you feel. My guess is you’ll find yourself enjoying your days far more.
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Jesus and Scripture all have much to say that is rich regarding rest. I’m also grateful for many modern-day sages and contemplatives[12] who are leading the charge in helping us rediscover ancient truths through current practices that have allowed humanity to thrive for all of time.
Regardless of where you’re at in life right now, I hope and pray that you’ll partake in an hour or so of introspection. Maybe you found yourself last night, awake late into the night with a million thoughts, many tabs, and a few random purchases under your belt as you sought to fill the space of life with more hurry and busyness in an effort to numb the pain inside your soul. Perhaps you’re reading this and realizing that while you do not feel tired, you’re certainly not living life in an optimal way. Whatever the case, may these words serve as an encouragement that it’s never too late to come to Jesus. His burden is easy and his yoke is light because he lived life in such a way to make rest not just possible but necessary to the human condition.
May we use today as a day to reflect and recenter our hearts in the Vine of life that is Jesus.
It is with this that I leave you for an extended time as I seek to practice what I preach! There will be no post, emails, or monthly teach in the month of June as I seek to implement a rhythm of rest in this endeavor to preach the Way of Jesus to the world. I leave with an incredible amount of gratitude and an immense amount of faith and humility, believing that the world will go on alright without me as I am currently and that you’ll be ready and waiting to continue to learn about the Way of Jesus when I return.
Until then, be encouraged.
Peace to you.
…
*This tale is accredited to Rabbi
[1] John 21:25, NIV
[2] Mark 1:32-35, NIV (emphasis mine)
[3] Mark 1:36-39, NIV
[4] Matthew 11:28, NIV
[5] Peterson, Eugene, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, 1980, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of the United State of America
[6] James 1:4, NIV
[7] Mark 1:36-39, NIV
[8] Mark 1:36-39, NIV (emphasis mine)
[9] Genesis 2:2-3, NIV
[10] Muller, Wayne, Sabbath, pg. 36
[11] Sabbath in Hebrew which means, “to stop.”
[12] Some of my favorites are Pete Scazzero, Eugene Peterson, Henri Nouwen and John Mark Comer
