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,

Isaiah 30:15 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Natalie Louis asked me what I love to do or enjoy to do. Something like that. You can listen to the full interview on her podcast. I said take naps.

2020 has turned into my rest year.
Much need. Very appreciated. Extremely sought out.

After the interview Natalie sent me an IG page she thought I would be interested in. It was for The Nap Ministry, lol. I immediately followed and have enjoyed the research-based knowledge and wisdom being shared via that organization.

Listen, if farmers have to let a field rest after 7 or 8 years before planting again. And we’re told to sleep at least 8-10 hours a night so our bodies can heal and our minds can rejuvenate. Plus, God created this world in 6 days and then rested. Why is this society so adverse to resting?

Rest is Biblical y’all.

Last week I touched on napping & quiet time as ways to help with one’s mental health. I want to dive a little more into why rest is biblical. Let’s start with the fact God rested on the 7^th day after working for 6. If God took a rest, then why don’t we? Could it be capitalism? Absolutely.

Resting is seen as being lazy, unproductive, not hardworking. In fact, it’s the catapult some people need to stop being lazy, be more productive and leads to being efficient & effective. We’ve heard of truck drivers who died because they fell asleep at the wheel. Or people who work third shift. We’ve heard about burnout in certain industries where they have a mas exodus of talent leaving. We’ve heard about other countries requiring daily siestas or weeks of vacation so people can be their best. Yet, in America we see resting as anything but what it is. The time needed in order for us to be able to save ourselves from the burdens and stresses of life trying to overtake us.

During the quietness and solitude of resting, we have the chance to allow our minds to unwind, our bodies to relax, soothe itself, heal itself and we have the opportunity to reckon with both the subconscious and nonconscious parts of our brain. Resting allows us to gain strength not just physically after a long day but mentally after a draining day.

Rest can come in a variety of ways. I want to give you some examples in case you want to mix things up depending on your schedule. And while we’re in the middle of this pandemic is imperative that you make resting a priority.

• It can be one day off a week doing nothing.
• One day off social media which can be mentally draining for some.
• One hour of quiet time a day.
• A quick 20-minute nap a day.
• A 30 day fast from social media.
• Not connecting to the TV, radio or social media as soon as you get up.
• Eating your meal disconnected from any and all devices.
• Mini getaways for the weekend (when the pandemic is over of course).
• Watching mindless TV for an episode or two or a whole movie uninterrupted.

These are just some examples. The point is to stop driving your mind and body into the ground due to capitalism.

I mentioned this at the beginning but let me share how our economic system is killing us slowly. When we’re pressured to meet high demands that only exist because the company created the need slowly deteriorates our mental capacity. We’re always thinking of what to do next, what got done, what needs to get done, who did what, what are our competitors doing, how can we improve, what is the bottom line, did we meet our sales goal, are we in the red, what is the profit margin, etc. While those are absolutely necessary to be aware of especially if it’s your business, that shouldn’t negate the fact that the constant whirlpool of questions is blocking you from growing deeper and expanding your mental capacity beyond work.

None of those questions pertain to personal life. That comes with a whole host of questions, situations and scenarios you have to navigate through as well.

Capitalism has created lifestyles where all people do is grind and make money. While both are nice they lack balance. The whole sleep when I’m dead life is literally going to send you to an early grave or lead to health complications that are preventable with rest.

No where in the Bible did I read that we had to work ourselves into the ground just to make it. If you read that, please give me that scripture or passage reference in the comment. And I listened to and read the entire Bible word for word 2 years in a row. So I’m pretty sure I would have remembered that.

At the end of the day, “Rest is Biblical” needs to replace the “grind ‘til I die” mantra.