THE DISCIPLINE OF REST

BY: Godfrey Gregg 

Why Doing Nothing Is Doing Something Sacred

We live in a culture that glorifies busyness and equates productivity with worthiness. We wear exhaustion as a badge of honor and feel guilty when we're not accomplishing something. Yet God, in His wisdom, embedded rest into the very fabric of creation, modeling it on the seventh day and commanding it for His people.

Rest isn't merely the absence of work—it's a spiritual discipline that acknowledges our humanity and dependence on God. When we rest, we declare that the world doesn't depend on our constant striving, that God remains sovereign whether we're working or sleeping, and that our value isn't determined by output.

The command to Sabbath was a radical gift. In a world where slaves worked ceaselessly and productivity determined survival, God told His people to stop. One day each week, cease striving. Trust that six days of work with God's blessing accomplishes more than seven days of anxious striving without Him.

Our resistance to rest reveals underlying beliefs: that we're indispensable, that everything will fall apart without our constant vigilance, or that productivity defines our worth. Rest confronts these lies and reorients us toward truth—we are loved because we exist, not because of what we accomplish.

Rest also restores what busyness depletes. Our bodies need physical recovery. Our minds need space to process and create. Our souls need time to reconnect with God without the distraction of task lists and deadlines. Without regular rest, we become less effective, more irritable, and increasingly disconnected from ourselves, others, and God.

Practical rest requires boundaries. It means saying no to good opportunities to preserve what's best. It means turning off notifications, leaving work at work, and protecting time for restoration. It means scheduling rest with the same intentionality we apply to important meetings.

Rest looks different for different people. For some, it's reading or napping. For others, it's hiking or creating art. The key is engaging in activities that restore rather than deplete, that reconnect you with joy, beauty, and meaning.

If you're exhausted today, consider that your fatigue might be an invitation rather than an inconvenience. God may be calling you to stop, breathe, and remember that you're a human being, not a human doing. Rest isn't laziness—it's obedience. It's trusting that God is big enough to handle what you lay down. Give yourself permission to rest without guilt. Your soul will thank you.