What Does True Rest Look Like In Your Life?

This past November, I joined a writing competition called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where the goal is to add 50,000 words to the novel you are writing in just the month of November. And that’s a lot of words to write in 30 days!

I continually found myself up from 9 pm to 11:30, or even 12:00, scrambling, trying to write enough words so I wouldn’t have to start the next day incredibly behind on my word count.

And on those rare days when I would have all of that days writing done by 9 pm, I would reward myself by doing something that required no creative thinking or physical strain. Making up scenes as I went and leaning over a computer for hours on end did enough of both of those things for me.

I would usually end up on the couch, playing some dumb game on my phone or talking to my friends, reveling in the fact that I didn’t have to think about my story until the next day. I finally get to rest, I would tell myself in satisfaction. Now I get to enjoy doing something of absolutely no value or productivity.

Until the day my sister-in-law brought up an interesting concept to me: there’s a difference between leisure and rest.

That really got me thinking.

You see, leisure is using your free time to do something enjoyable. It’s the opposite of work.

But on the other hand, what’s rest? Here’s the exact definition: cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.

All along, I had told myself that I was resting. I’m taking a break from writing, I’m resting my brain. But in reality, I was only taking a break from using mental energy, and not restoring it in the process. That always resulted in the next day being just as difficult, tiring, and strenuous as the one before. I hadn’t been resting.

The type of rest that is able to refresh and recover looks different to different people. For some people, it may be taking a walk, sitting outside and enjoying the fresh air, or listening to some calm, soothing music.

But I know what it is for me: meditating on scripture. I’ve been trying to implement that in my life more—allowing myself to truly rest—and filling my mind with the Word of God.

I’ll pull up a YouTube video where a person just reads Bible verses aloud, while a peaceful instrumental is played in the background. Sometimes, I’ll even cover my head in a blanket so I don’t get distracted by what is going on around me!

Then I’ll just close my eyes and listen. If one verse speaks to my heart, I’ll just think on it while the others continue to play.

I always get up feeling very rested: restored, relaxed, and recovered.

So today, I challenge you to find out what rest looks like in your life, then implement it. I think you’ll be very surprised to see how different you feel when you use at least some of your spare time for rest, not leisure.