Find Your Rest Rhythm

Imagine the perfect kind of resting. What's it feel like? What does it sound like? How do you feel? I have an idealized version of "rest." At this time last year, Tyler and I headed to a spa in Kansas City for a quick two days. What I envisioned as supreme ‘rest’ was quite lovely, but somehow, I still didn’t feel rested. No kids? Check. No cooking/cleaning/housework? Check. Spa treatments? Check. Quality time with the hubby? Check. It was wonderful! And, I didn’t come home the entirely new person I thought I would!

So, what is rest? I find myself more and more rejuvenated and energized by the small, daily (and weekly) rhythms that lead me to rest in the regular routines. Escaping from real life seems like a good idea (and I’m all for it!), but I continue to find that learning to rest in the rhythm of the chaos holds far more value. 

As Iowans, winter teaches us something about this. Winter, in its own way, is actually beautiful. The Earth has chosen to rest. It’s the rhythm of the natural world. It restores the ground, the plants, and the animals for the seasons to come. I’ve come to fully enjoy my 5 or 15 minutes alone with my coffee cup, saying prayers, reading (or listening) to my Bible readings for the day, listening to my podcast while I jog on the elliptical, sitting next to my toddler on the couch reading a book (or five), rocking my youngest to sleep while praying over her. These aren’t huge moments, but they culminate in a rhythm of rest. And they are tiny pockets of time that I truly look forward to every day. 

Do you feel rested? What are small but significant pockets of rest in your day? Are there rhythms that could be introduced to find more rest? What steals your rest? (It was social media for me!!!) There’s a reason God rested and why he commands us to rest. This is a life-giving practice, certainly weekly but we can also find daily rhythms that ground us in the regular life stuff. Give it a try and see what happens!