How to Silence the Reasons Why You Can’t Rest

And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me.

John 16:33 TPT

When your throat is sore, your eyes are allergy-sensitive, and your energy is on empty, you know your body sorely needs rest. But the more you need the rest, the more reasons you have why you can’t slow down yet.

A dishwasher to clear.

Laundry to fold.

Floors to vacuum.

Emails to answer.

Projects to tackle.

Errands to run.

Kids to chauffeur across town.

Things to order from Amazon.

Registrations to complete.

Dinner to start.

Life sometimes doesn’t give us a break, and mammas know there is no time for us to get sick.

So you press on. Push yourself harder. Drink another cup of blueberry ginseng tea.

It feels like juggling balls while walking on a treadmill.

There’s no break.

No give.

No grace.

It’s no wonder building relationships with our neighbors sounds exhausting when we’re already doing all we can and barely keeping it together.

Yet the middle of our too-busy lives, Jesus gently asks,

Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.

Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

He invites us to stop trying so hard. To stop being self-critical. Checking boxes. Keeping it all together.

The good news is that we come as we are. Burdened. Tired. Stretched thin.

The better news is that He takes the weight of all we’re carrying. He replaces worry with peace. Guilt with encouragement. Shame with confidence. Fear with joy.

Burlap and lace

I love lace overlaying burlap ribbon. It’s simple and rustic, lovely and inviting. I’d gift wrap in brown paper and tie a bow in burlap-lace ribbon if it wasn’t far less complicated to fill a gift bag and fluff tissue paper.

But Jesus didn’t take the easy route when He wrapped up His words in John 16:33:

And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me.

TPT

Jesus offered a thoughtful and clear one-sentence summary of His why behind every single thing He taught His disciples. This was no rushed wrap-job, but a tender and intentional gesture.

Everything He taught them—everything about their relationship with Him giving them direct access to the Father (John 16:23), everything about being “nourished and empowered by His love” (John 15:9-10), everything about filled so that we overflow (John 7:37-38), everything about loving deeply as we ourselves have been loved (John 15:17)—was so they would be filled with peace and confidence as they rested in Him.

God longs to gift you peace and confidence, friend.

Not peace that is fleeting or temperamental. Not confidence that changes with your mood.

Peace that lasts. Confidence that doesn’t dwindle.

Peace that carries you through the storm. Confidence that lifts your head and spirit.

Peace that is a Person. Confidence that is because of a Person.

And what does God ask of us in exchange? Simply that we rest in Him.

Resting in Christ

What does it mean to rest in Christ? we might ask.

Resting in Christ means something more than simply slowing down. It’s purposeful resting that points our hearts in the direction of Jesus. It’s not just carving out empty space to take a deep breath, but inviting Christ to fill us and satisfy our emptiness with Him.

It’s steeping in God’s Word because truth always changes us when it lives inside.

Falling silent so we can tune our ears to the sound of His dear voice.

Spending time close to Jesus so we learn to love Him simply for who He is, not what He offers.

Paying attention to how He speaks through the sound of a waterfall, the coo of a baby, the way a sunset blankets the sky with glory.

Thanking Him for His comfort, strength, provision, and faithful love.

Resting in Christ might look like turning on worship music, whispering a prayer in bed before the noise of the day catches up with you, having a heart-to-heart with a friend about what God is cultivating inside you.

But often resting is not doing, but not doing.

Not pressuring yourself to get all the things done. Not beating yourself up over taking a break. Not breaking every silence with words. Not believing sneaky lies like my work = my worth, it’s selfish to rest, and rest=laziness.

It’s funny how rest is the opposite of motion, yet it’s rest that makes us more fruitful. Rest unlocks healthy growth. It’s the deep abiding, the nestling in close, the constant turning of our attention towards our Savior that grows us into thinking, talking, and acting like Jesus—at home, at school or work, in our neighborhoods, communities, and churches.

I’ve been the one trying to recreate the outcome of proximity to Jesus without actually drawing close. I’ve tried to ignore my need to rest. Let me tell you that it doesn’t work.

It burns you out. Closes off your heart in subtle ways. Veers you off-course.

And maybe today you too need permission to rest. To slow. To still your mind. To surrender your excuses.

If that’s you today, friend, remember that Jesus’s invitation to rest is because He loves you. He wants the best for you. And His best includes a rested you that is full of His peace and confidence.

Jesus, I pray for the woman who feels it’s impossible to slow down, take anything off her plate, spend soul time lingering in Your presence. Lord, I ask that You would replace the lies she’s believed about rest with the truth that it’s part of Your very best for her. As you invite her to rest in You, would you stir hope in her heart? Spark a vision for what loving the people that you have placed in her everyday life looks like. And gently lead her, one small step at a time, in that direction. In Your beautiful and precious name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

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