You might wonder why I would include repentance and rest in the same sentence. To repent means “to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.” So how can our choice of burnout or lack of rest be sinful?
In my previous blog post, I reference Isaiah 30:15:
““For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has said this, “In returning [to Me] and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and confident trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,””
I continue to reflect on the scripture; the New International Version doesn’t just say we should return but gives the more profound concept of repentance. This hits a bit deeper because it means not just choosing an alternate route; instead, repentance is assessing how we’ve been living daily and looking honestly at how our failure to rest has impacted our lives.
Our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health all suffer when we do not prioritize rest. When God created our human frame, he gave built-in signs to tell us when to eat and sleep, So why do we keep pressing on to one more task even as our yawns get bigger and bigger while we work? We ignore chronic headaches that sometimes signal that we have pushed ourselves to our physical limitations. Relational breakdowns, inability to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, extreme anger, and tension may signal that it is time to rest. Not just sleep (although a good nap never hurts), but true, restorative, calming repose—ceasing all activity, mentally and physically.
We need to repent for lack of rest because we continually compete with God for control.
The narratives we tell ourselves about why a given set of tasks must be completed perfectly and in a compressed time frame often come from an image of perfection that we want to project versus listening to the voice of God for wisdom and direction.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 says,
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole Spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
We want our rest to be “Sanctified” (set apart) from how the world does it. God has a better plan for those of us who are His beloved children. So we will repent..again and again for trying to do things in our own strength because He who called us is faithful.
In the comments, I’d love to hear about the creative ways God is teaching you to take real rest in Him.
