We the Weary

This post is by Jen Shultz.

I am so tired of the word hustle. It used to be something a coach or parent yelled when they wanted us to pick up the pace and somewhere along the way it became a culture. Labels like #GirlBoss infiltrated our lives. Book after book, hashtag after hashtag, and ultimately conferences and merch became a cycle encouraging generations to work more for what eventually became less—less pay, less time to do the things we love, less balance in our lives. I do not know about you, friend, but I cannot mentally or physically handle any more hustle. Coming off of not just one, but close to a baker’s dozen “lifetime events,” has an entire world weary. As a collective, we need to recover. We need rest.

It is a big shift, no doubt. I have been working at it for years and still, I struggle. That work is not for the faint of heart. It is easier to just do what has always been done and what people have come to expect because we have allowed ourselves to be overextended, overbooked, and overlooked. Let me say that again- WE HAVE ALLOWED IT. It is time for us to reset those boundaries and to require time for that rest we need so desperately. Biblically, we, the weary, are encouraged to rest (Matthew 11:28). I know it may sound like a cliché, but I will say it anyway… even God took time to rest. (Genesis 2:2-3)

Rest comes in many forms and I believe it is seldom just one type of rest needed. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, identifies seven types of rest. 

Physical rest - Giving your body a break from physical exertion. 

Mental rest - Giving your brain a break from mental taxing activities. 

Sensory rest - Giving your senses a break from stimulation such as lights, loud noises, screens etc.

Creative rest - Enjoying beauty and rekindling childlike wonder. Nature, art, crafts…

Emotional rest - This is the rest we receive when we feel like we can be authentic and honest. This can be found in prayer, a friend or a counselor. 

Social rest - Social rest is found in our most life-giving relationships. People who fill us up. 

Spiritual rest - taking extended time to peacefully reconnect with God through prayer, worship and reading His word. 

This becomes challenging in a few ways because my rest will not look like the rest you need. In fact, my rest will be different every day. No one person has the same experiences and stressors or even the same manner of seeing and dealing with a situation. One could almost conclude this wide range of needs is why rest is so difficult to institute. Additionally, a good portion of the pressure we feel to not rest comes from things that are actually good. For example, we are building a house and it is so exciting, but there is a pressure to spend every spare second working on it. It could easily take something good and turn it into something grueling. So, how do we prevent that? We must spend wisely.

Our time, our money, and our energy must be spent in a way that promotes not just success, but also self care. We must acknowledge the areas we need to rest and actively spend for our own health. It is worth the cost, friend. YOU are worth the cost. 

Jen is a small town, Oklahoma girl married to a superhero. Together, they are raising a family on second chances, shiplap, and a shoestring. She is a firm believer in grace, organization, and efficiency. She finds great satisfaction in taking broken items and giving them new life, likely because that is exactly what God did for her. She over uses the word shine, exclamation points, and emojis. Jen calls her children her greatest accomplishments. A natural born encourager and armchair warrior, she is learning to redefine her mission field and make the most of each day she is given. She has recently been promoted from breast cancer warrior to breast cancer survivor. She’s chronically ill and chronically positive- not necessarily in that order. She is learning to practice perseverance over perfection and longs for the day she gets to see her grandparents and Jesus’ face. Until then, she is just looking for Grace in the Grind.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash