Rest and Work
IMAGE AND RHYTHMS
Every person was created with the “imago Dei,” the image of God. We’re not here at random. Quite the opposite, we are intentional and known. The Psalmist celebrates that “He knit us together in our mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13-14). Furthermore, we were created for relationship with the One whose image we bear. In the beginning, Genesis indicates that Adam and Eve regularly spent time with their maker walking in the Garden. When we learn that we carry the image of God, we learn that our lives can and should be patterned after his. We should reflect his image.
When we think about our rhythms, particularly in the West, we often see tired, weary and burned out people who are “living for the weekend.” Truth be told, most people are not intentional to produce and live with regular rhythms. Rather than living with great joy, many are living with great anxiety which is often related to work induced stress. It also may be the result of a frenetic lifestyle where families are trying to “juggle all the activities” or “cram one more thing in.” In Genesis, we actually see a better and healthier pattern for which we were designed.
When we examine the creation story, we see rhythms come in to play from the beginning. Over and over we hear, “There was evening and there was morning, the first day…There was evening and there was morning, the second day.” There was light and dark to mark those times. We know there are seasons built into creation. We know that plants have seasons of growth, fruit, death. Living things breathe in and breathe out. Rhythms are everywhere.
Finally, in the creation narrative we see that human beings, (not human doings, a false identity we have lived in for too long) were created. They were created on the sixth day. On the seventh day, the story says that the Creator rests. This day is actually the first full day of life for us. According to the story, humanity starts out from a place of rest. It is the eighth day that humanity goes about the task we were created for, “having dominion over the earth.” The work didn’t start immediately. The work flowed out of a resting place. If this is the pattern that we were created for, we need to pay closer attention to our rhythms, and seek to develop our personal and even corporate rhythms with this in mind: We were created to work out of a place of rest. We were not created to rest from work.
REST/ABIDING
Jesus affirms the idea that we are to live in a healthy rhythm of rest and work. He says to his disciples in John 15, “I am the true vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.”
One of the easiest ways to see this concept is to think about the pendulum swing on something like a grandfather clock. (Draw the semi-circle with the pendulum.) There is a continuous back and forth motion. The pendulum swings a certain distance to the right and a certain distance to the left.
On the left side of the semi-circle we can write abide or rest. As we’ve already seen from the biblical picture, this is our starting point. The instructions Jesus gives us begin with “Abide.” The idea here is that we spend intentional time with him. We start our time with Jesus, listening for his voice and what he’s inviting us into. He demonstrated that pattern as well. In Mark 1:35 we read, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” This is a regular occurrence for Jesus. He begins with abiding with the Father, with the source of clarity and direction.
We don’t just spend time with Jesus for clarity and direction, however. Like a trusted friend and brother, we spend time with him because we love him, and he loves us. We were created to spend time with him. We are restored in deep ways in our mind, body and spirit when we prioritize our time with Jesus.
GROWING/PRUNING
As we spend seasons/time, abiding with Jesus, we must also experience seasons of growing and pruning. (Write growing/growth on the bottom right of the semi-circle and write pruning on the bottom left of the semi-circle). Jesus is using an agricultural metaphor as he often does to give us a better picture of what life with and in him is like. Immature plants cannot bear fruit. Overgrown plants can also not bear healthy fruit. You cannot force a young plant to bear fruit and an overgrown plant will not do the hard work of pruning itself. Both of these seasons are necessary seasons if we want to produce the kind of fruit Jesus wants us to bear.
Sometimes we will spend time abiding with Jesus, discover clarity or direction and then spend a season growing in that direction. Rather than arriving at a place of producing fruit, however, we may need to go through a season of pruning and return to a place of abiding. Here we may discover greater clarity or direction and set back out into a season of growth. Once again, rather than producing fruit, we may need another season of pruning, cutting back and cutting out places or parts that are unhealthy or unproductive, returning once again to a place of abiding. What we can be confident of is the promise Jesus gives to us, “If you abide in me, you will bear much fruit.”
It may be frustrating to walk through seasons of growth and pruning before experiencing fruit. We have to adopt a different posture during these times and remember that we’re in a process of maturity. The sign of maturity is reproduction and eventually, through these swings of abiding/growing/pruning/abiding, we will reach a place where we bear fruit.
WORK/BEARING FRUIT
While it might seem preferable to spend everyday relaxing on the beach in some endless vacation rather than a tiny cubicle, we were actually designed to work. In the creation narrative, Adam and Eve are told to, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Being fruitful and multiplication both indicate work. (Write work/bear fruit at the top of the right side of the semi-circle.) They don’t happen without some intentionality. Back to John 15, Jesus tells his disciples that it, “Is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.” In Ephesians 2:10 we read that we were created for, “good works which God prepared for us.” As much as resting is a part of our Imago Dei or divine imprint, so too is working. We are little creators, invited into the story to work in bringing the kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. The fruit we bear will always be a result of the work of Jesus in us.
STRIVING/BURNOUT
In a culture driven by productivity over people, living with healthy rhythms of working from a place of rest will be counter-cultural. The greatest temptation will be to sacrifice rest and times of abiding to keep up with the ever-marching-forward-machine. These times of temptation will lead us to believe that we can “just keep going,” “we’ll take a break soon,” “one more project,” and so on. The lie is that we can work harder and produce more…on our own. That manufactured energy is called striving. (Write striving to the right side of work/bear fruit.) Anyone can maintain striving for a time, but the arm of the pendulum will only get heavier and eventually the weight of it will be crushing. The pendulum will swing in the opposite direction towards burnout, and the equal and opposite reaction will match the level of striving. (Write burnout to the left side of rest/abide.) The greater the striving period in un-health, the greater the burnout, the longer the recovery. The greatest loss in these times will not be a job or finances, but significant relationships and our own physical, spiritual and mental health. This is not the way Jesus designed us. It’s not the best that he wants for us.
WHEN TO REST
These rhythms need to be engaged at multiple levels just as we see rhythms at micro and macro levels. Followers of Jesus should work toward healthy rhythms where they divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually.
The first place to aim at developing this rhythm is to divert daily. In Genesis we see that there was “morning and evening” built into the days. Originally, those that heard this would have recognized a time to work (morning) and a time to rest (evening). Each day, you need to carve space to feed our soul and feed your most important relationships. Each day, you withdraw to “your cell” to be alone with Jesus and to nourish your soul. Each day, you create spaces to connect with those who are most important to you. It might be in the morning over a cup of coffee. Or at dinner time as you intentional gather your family to eat, with everyone there a few times a week. It might be a quiet hour at the end of the day for the prayer of examine. You need to protect some space every day.
The second place to develop a resting rhythm is in withdrawing weekly. Remember in the creation narrative there is a day dedicated for resting. If God took a day of rest, then we can pretty easily intuit that we, his creation also need this rest. We rest one, we work six. You live six and one because it is fundamental to what it means to be a human being who is flourishing, instead of a human being who is scurrying. The Sabbath should be about two things: Fasting and Feasting. Fast from work. This will take some preparation. This will take some advance planning. The goal is to clear a day of anything that is work to you. Then, feast on the things that fill your soul: a walk in the woods, great art, great food, extending time to pray or enjoy worship music, read great books, linger over the Gospels, or a particular hobby: gardening, sports, photography, mountain biking, etc. You get the idea. Stay away from anything “work-oriented.”
The third place, the macro level would be to abandon annually. This one is all about taking that vacation or an intentional spiritual retreat. Preferably both! In the Old Testament, God institutes festivals for the people. He was commanding his people to take a break from the busyness, to be restored and refreshed. Jesus also attended these festivals and feasts. Each year, you need to be intentional to get away. Whatever amount of vacation time you have, take it all. And don’t wait till you’re at the end of the year. Look throughout the year and plan intentionally.
HOW TO REST
The other element to think through is how you rest. A helpful work here is recreation. We’ve been trained to pronounce this word like what you do when you have some time for outdoor activities. But a hyphen will help us pronounce it differently, and a little shift of our thought process with this word can help us bring new life when we’re recharging. What if we saw it as “Re-Creation?” What are the things in your life that you can do regularly that will also bring you rest apart from abiding with Jesus?
Does time at home with a good book and Starbucks bring you rest? Does a hike through the wilderness bring you joy? How about a workout? Would you prefer to be on the field playing a game of soccer or ultimate Frisbee? Would you be recharged by spending a day building something or planting a garden?
Do some of these things sound exhausting? Well, those are probably not things that will help you in the process of re-creating. Just because something might be physically tiring however, doesn’t mean it’s not the perfect thing for re-creation or recharging your soul during a time of rest.
What about the abiding piece? Well, the best way to discern this one is to ask this, “How did Jesus do it?” Well, he carved out time before he ever started ministry on a desert retreat with his Father. This was a time of intense temptation, yes, but it was here that he dealt with the identity issues of his appetites, approval, and authority. He returned from the time alone with a greater awareness of his identity and a clear sense of his mission to proclaim the kingdom.
We also read in Mark 1.35-39 that Jesus got up early in the morning to go be with his father. When the disciples found him, even though a crowd was ready to greet him, Jesus knew it was time to move to a new place. We see this pattern where Jesus gets alone with his Father and when he returns it’s as if he has a clearer awareness of what he should do next. And he says things like, “I can only do what I see my Father doing.” He had to get alone and abide with the Father, listening for his voice to know that direction.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you live a healthy rhythm of work and rest? Or is your life characterized by frenetic hurrying and stress?
What does your current schedule tell you about what you believe about God’s character? Does He function at the same pace? In control? Out of control?
What will be the greatest challenge to reshape your rhythms around a balance of rest and work?
What season do you feel you are currently living in? Rest, growing, pruning, producing fruit?
How do you divert daily? Withdraw weekly?
Abandon annually?How do you best re-create?
Which of the following do want to grow in next?
The rhythm of rest and work is a picture, a mirror, and a window.
Picture to understand: What do the prayer circles show you about being a disciple of Jesus?
Mirror to reflect: What do the prayer circles show you about yourself?
Window to see: What should you do about what you seen in and through the prayer circles?
KEY SCRIPTURES FOR THE SEMI CIRCLE
Genesis 1:26 – 2:3
John 15:1-8
Mark 2:13
Jesus is alone at the lake before teaching
Mark 3:7
Jesus withdraws with his disciples
Mark 3:13
Jesus goes up the mountainside and calls his disciples
Mark 4:35
Jesus leaves the crowds by getting into a boat
Mark 5:1
Jesus at the lake/hillside
Mark 5:21
Jesus crosses the lake to the other side again
Mark 6:45-46
Jesus sends his disciples ahead, dismisses the crowd, and goes up the mountain to pray.
*The Rhythm of Rest and Work has been adapted from The Semi-Circle, which can be found in Mike Breen and Steve Cockram’s book, Building a Discipling Culture (99-114). The examples from Scripture can be found in that same work on page 114. This tool is foundational in teaching people how to pattern their life in healthy rhythms the way Jesus did. We are grateful for the influencing work of 3DM.