I woke up this morning feeling tired on the inside. It wasn’t so much that I was physically tired. Rather, my spirit was tired. I was soul-weary. I’ve been putting out a lot of energy of late and I need to replenish.
So this weekend, I’m letting myself REST.
And just so you know, by REST I do not mean inactivity. It’s not about lying on the couch all weekend reading or binge-watching.
I’m working with a client most of the day today via a virtual 1:1 retreat. And I have some things to wrap up in my business to meet end-of-the-month due dates. With 3-6 inches of snow in the forecast, I’ll help shovel our L-O-N-G driveway.
I’m talking about SOUL-rest. That’s the REST that renews and revives my soul. Like simply sitting in my chair for 45 minutes this morning, sipping my tea in silence. Being STILL in the Divine’s presence. Allowing the Source of Life to fill me with Life and Love with every conscious breath I took.
It’s the REST of relaxing my mind and releasing my plans.
It’s the REST that the book God Calling speaks of. In it, God says…
Rest, knowing all is so safe in my hands. Rest is trust. Ceaseless activity is distrust. Without the knowledge that I am working for you, you do not rest.
This REST is an internal state of being. It is a stance of surrender and trust. Sabbath REST.
In the Christian tradition, we often think of the Sabbath as being the day we go to church and praise God. But that was not the original intent of the Sabbath. Rather, it was about work stoppage.
When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they worked all the time. And they were judged by how much work they did. The slaves who made or laid more bricks were more highly valued than those who didn’t. Their worth was based on their OUTPUT.
Which might sound familiar. After all, isn’t that how it so often is in our world today? Are we not measured by our “output”? And isn’t that how we often think of ourselves – and how we “measure” ourselves against others?
This, my friends, is hard-core scarcity. Thinking that our worth is a result of production or measured by EXTERNALS.
It’s this subconscious belief in scarcity that keeps us in patterns of “ceaseless activity”. That has our mind continue to race with long lists of things to do. It’s what has us fill potential times of silence with podcasts or books on tape. We call it “using our time wisely” so as to learn more, know more, do more.
But filling our HEAD with more information is not the same as feeding our SOUL.
This REST is not about checking OUT – it’s about checking IN. It’s the REST that reconnects us with the truth that our worth is inherent.
It’s like swimming in a lake or ocean. No matter how turbulent it is at the surface, if you dive deep enough, the water is calm.
And so it is with you and me, my friend. If we are willing to stop our “ceaseless activity”, we can tap into the deep well of inner calm and peace WITHIN US.
Trust me, it’s there.
So my REST this weekend looks like extra time in silence. And spending time outside in nature. Ironically, I know that part of RESTING this weekend includes MOVING my body. Because moving physically renews me emotionally and spiritually as well.
And, as I reconnect with this inner place of REST within me, I can and will go about the process of working with my client. And handling the things that need to be handled.
It’s not about resting, AFTER all, is done. It’s about living from a deeper place of REST within ourselves. And from that place of REST, living our lives.
I’m sharing this all with you because you, too, might feel this need to REST. Physical rest and/or SOUL rest.
But you might be tempted to ignore it. To push on. To keep going. To keep doing.
Unintentionally buying into the belief that your worth is a function of EXTERNALS. That it’s based on what you do and accomplish – and how much.
Which is exactly why rest IS trust.
It’s trusting that we are part of something bigger than us and our individual efforts and lives. It’s trusting in Abundance – around us AND within us.
So if you need permission to REST, my friend, you’ve got it. From me AND from God.
I hope you’ll give it to yourself.
You are worth it.
You are worthy.
And in RESTING, you will come to know and trust the truth of this.
All my love~
T.