Sparrows and Lilies: December 2021

I'd like this series to be read like the Beatitudes with each part building on the other. The first, paradoxically, is rest. To be steadfast you must first know how to be still. To be effective in work you must learn how to... not work.

Intro

No alarm clock at 5 am and no checklist to complete, today was my day of rest. The past weeks were filled with busyness from work, school, and ministry. Finally, a moment to breathe, but it felt weird.

"I feel like I need to be out of the house," I tell my roommate. But she reassures me to stay home and not plan anything. Resisting the urge to be productive, I watch some Youtube videos, read fun articles, and took a nap. I woke up and posted a picture of my cat captioned, "Spent the day being lazy."

No... that's not right. I backspace and correct the caption to, "Spent the day resting."

Although I said resting, I didn't feel rested at all. Instead I felt restless, guilty, and more tired from worrying. I did fun activities and was physically relaxed, but my mind was telling me that this was wrong, and I needed to be "steadfast".

We live in a society where rise and grind is the norm. In fact, we praise and idolize people who jam-pack their schedule, have more than one job, work out, repeat. I know I have. My Youtube history is filled with productivity videos titled somewhat like:

-How to Start Your Day at 4:30am

-5am Morning Routine

-Be Productive with Me

-Study Grind

These videos aren't inherently bad, but it begins to normalize a life that's not truly life, and the purpose of rest and how to rest is skewed.

"Grind culture is all about making your time count. If you are not working, you should be learning something new, adopting a new habit or working out. The “grind” puts emphasis on success—focusing on how many hours you are working or being productive by society’s standards" (James).

"Dr. Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, says that many people today, especially in the United States, take pride in not getting much sleep" (Adler).

Satan is sneaky with his schemes. His lies aren't obvious red flags, but tiny thorns that slowly make their way to infect the whole body. He slips into our minds that rest isn't necessary.

Tired and stressed out? Feeling overwhelmed? Can't stay awake unless you have caffeine?

"Well... That's just the grind ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

But we need to remember the truth that rest is holy, not a reward for productivity. God calls us to have more than physical rest, He offers true steadfast rest that satisfies and sustains the soul. To summarize this post: we need to remember our purpose, practice surrender, and enjoy life, as well as, focus on God's provision, power, and control.

Unlearning the Lies

Where hustle culture says: “I'm working every hour God sends and this is admirable, evidence of my strong will and worthy of emulation,” toxic productivity is actually saying, “I'm working all the time, and this is too much.” (Greig)

When we are caught in a cycle of toxic productivity, it's hard to tell that it's even bad since it's so normal in the world. But God calls us to not be swayed into the ways of the world.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Some of the Lies:

Rest = Laziness
Rest is earned
To be steadfast is to be busy
Every hour must be spent doing something productive because that's the source of our value and purpose of living
Burnout is normal because "no pain, no gain"

Purpose of Rest:

“The heart of our reason for being is to know and love our Maker and enjoy Him forever. Nothing is more important than that, nothing surpasses that core purpose." (Not Forsaken, Louie Giglio)

Most people might say the purpose of rest is to fuel themselves so they can work more, which is only a snippet of the truth. I'm going to repeat these main points multiple times, so this post might sound repetitive. But I hope you memorize these truths and keep them in your heart.

We rest to...

Recenter ourselves to our purpose, which is being in a relationship with God.
Enjoy life and remember that our work is not our value.
See God working and not us.

How to Rest:

Just like how our quiet times are done differently, we each rest differently too. Each individual experiences God in different ways. Can siblings say they both hang out with their parents exactly the same? Sleep is a universal way of rest, but on our sabbath day, it's really up to us how we spend it. I know one sister would enjoy spending the whole day at her favorite coffee shop, another one would maybe walk on the beach, or you could stay home all day.

So then it's onto the next question: why do we even work until we're burned out?

Burnout

"To be burned out is to be used up, like a battery so depleted that it can’t be recharged. In people, unlike batteries, it is said to produce the defining symptoms of “burnout syndrome”: exhaustion, cynicism, and loss of efficacy" (Lepore).

We become...

Ineffective
Bitter
Prideful
Self-sufficient
Lonely
Exhausted
Guilt driven
Depressed

"The burnout literature will tell you that this, too—the guilt, the self-scolding—is a feature of burnout" (Lepore).

And the causes could be...

Fear
Control
Comparison
Idolatry (in our career, future, money, etc.)
Pride
Societal standards and expectations
Working to distract and numb our emotions
Confusing our mission with our purpose

One of my favorite quotes from Till the Nets are Full by Douglas Jacoby says, "...it should be clarified that mission and purpose are different things. Our purpose is to enjoy our relationship with God and make it to heaven; our mission is to change the world. (When mission and purpose become confused, spiritual burnout is not far away.)"

Dangers of Burnout

The danger of burning out is SELF.

When we are burned out spiritually we end up running on "self." When a Prius is empty on gas it starts running on its battery, but not for long and at a slow speed. And there's a danger to running a Prius solely on battery. When the battery is dead there's a special way to recharge it; it's pricey and hard to fix. In fact, most people end up buying a new battery instead of trying to fix it. But of course, we are more than just hybrid cars. The main point is we can run on "self" for a short time until our batteries are dead. It's not safe or effective - it's damaging. That's why God created a day for us to be filled. When we're swept by our day-to-day activities we can say, "I don't need to get gas, I can just let it run on battery," but we need to remember that, like a Prius, we weren't created to run like that.

Questions to ask yourself

Am I running on self?
What symptoms do I see in myself? What are the causes?

Sabbath was Made for Man

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

The Sabbath was not meant to burden us. The Pharisees placed their own regulation by not allowing any sort of work to be done. The Sabbath is not a day where we can't do anything but be couch potatoes while memorizing verses. When we turn the Sabbath into a routine, law, or rule, we forget the purpose. In fact, all "rules" in the Bible are simply there to protect us and our relationship with God and others. So the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Where one person might go running on their Sabbath, perhaps other view running as work. I still write on my blog on my day of rest because writing draws me closer to God and refreshes my spirit, but not everyone enjoys or views writing like that. I still struggle with feelings of anxiety and fear when I rest, but once again, the Sabbath was made for man...and this transitions to my next point of surrender.

Questions to ask yourself

What refreshes your spirit and draws you closer to God?

Surrender and Rest

For a long time, I believed that steadfastness somehow came out of me. Something in me must conjure up this flame to go out there, spread the gospel, and be an impact; that looked like making plans and being busy. Some days I didn't rest, I thought I had to work for my vision to be a success. But steadfastness comes from going to the source; when we rest in the embrace of our Creator.

In my thinking that steadfastness came out of me, I took away power from God and placed it all on myself. I find the story in Leviticus a beautiful picture of this...

“If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it. But you might ask, ‘What will we eat during the seventh year since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’ Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years. When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year. (Leviticus 25:18-22)

My response is the same as the Israelites,"How can anything happen if I'm not working?"
And I just love how God tells them to rest from farming and that He will provide. This can be applied financially, "How can I take a day off from work? I need the money."
Or in school, "I have to study. I need to use every hour to prepare."
And even in ministry, "But it's working for God, why should I rest from scattering seeds?"

In all situations God is working, He is the one in control and makes the increase. Of course, we need to put in the work (faith without works is dead), but for our day of rest, it's a moment to trust and surrender our work to see His works.

Jesus

"Working from a place of rest rather than for rest." - Woven in Truth Podcast

I started rereading Mark to refresh my memory for a Bible study and I was in awe of Jesus's heart and attitude. Crowds following him, working early and ending late, and so much more. How was He not annoyed? How did He not collapse in exhaustion? How did He know the healthy boundaries between resting and denying self?

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. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1:35-37)

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38)

Jesus begins his morning with the Father, making it a priority to be filled. His spirit was rested and refreshed.
Jesus created healthy boundaries to take care of his physical body and needs. He knew when to say, "no" and "later" to people's requests not because they weren't important, but because he knew that he needed rest to work efficiently.
Even during a storm (when life seems to get crazy and out of control) Jesus was able to rest peacefully knowing that the one who controls all things is by his side.

Meditate on the Truth: Rest is Holy

We are centered back on our purpose.

We remember that strength comes from God.

We remember who has control.

We are reminded of His goodness that fills us.

Our tasks become exhilarating rather than exhausting.

No longer conformed to the pattern of the world - we don't need to be burned out to prove our worth, productivity, or value.

We can rest with no anxiety or fear because God is the one working on it all.

When we surrender our agendas we say to God, "I know You provide and You will grow the seeds of faith."

Questions to ask yourself

How did I view rest and how do I see it now?

Personal reflection on rest:

I thought resting looked like spending with myself. I watched some shows, maybe bought myself a nice dinner, and just anything that was self-care and made me feel good. Nothing wrong with treating yourself, but even if I have those me times my mind still spiraled and my spirit stayed empty.

Throughout my years as a disciple the word "rest" and "sabbath" have been thrown around with great importance. It never occurred to me that resting was a time to recenter our hearts to God and enjoy existing. Recenter ourselves on Christ made sense to me, but I had to constantly remind myself that our purpose is to enjoy our relationship with God and others. Our purpose is not our works, not our career, not even the gifts and talents God has given us.

Daniel Titchener has a Youtube video about why productivity makes you miserable and he says, "this sense of "doing enough" never really comes." And I believe that's so true. No matter how productive we are there's always a new project, goal, plan.

As someone who is constantly insecure and wants to feel valued by works, it's so crucial to simply enjoy life and remember that we are valuable and loved as we are and not by the works we do. We each are an important part of - work, school, ministry, family but at the end of the day, we are simply loved as ourselves. In stillness and doing no work we are deeply loved, valued, and treasured. No amount of work can gain the agape love the Father has for us.

Articles:

Toxic Productivity

Burnout: Modern Affliction or Human Condition?

Why Grind Culture is Toxic

In Today's World, the Well-Rested Lose Respect

Rest is Holy Not a Reward for Productivity

Special shoutout to Jim Brown's sermon Shining in Value one of the first instances that made me realize that there was more to rest than what the world was telling me.

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Sparrows and Lilies

Intro

Unlearning the Lies

Some of the Lies:

Burnout

Dangers of Burnout

Dangers of Burnout

Sabbath was Made for Man

Surrender and Rest

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