Prioritising rest

I’ve been reflecting on how much rest is an intentional choice recently. Too often I think we tend to think of rest as a luxury and as something we can only really pursue once we’ve finished ‘everything else’. And it also tends to be the very first thing that gets cut when we become busy or over-stretched too.

But why is it that we seem to think the answer to feeling tired, stressed out, or over-extended is to work harder and faster to get through everything?

It isn’t! The answer to finding more rest in our lives is simply choosing to prioritise it…

Ephesians 5:15 offers us this timeless advice:

“Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity”

The problem is that so often as christians I think we can falsely interpret this verse and others like it, thinking that ‘making the most of every opportunity’ means stretching more out of the same 24 hours by getting up earlier and sleeping less, and trying to squeeze ever more levels of activity in.

But the truth is that this is not a wise way to live, and it’s not a biblical way to live either.

From the very start of creation in Genesis, all through God’s dealings with his people through the old testament laws, and embodied in the words and example of Jesus, the Bible repeatedly calls us to prioritise rest.

Prioritising rest is about choosing to live at a pace that allows us to live well; a pace that affords us the time to spend loving God, valuing ourselves, and loving others around us well.

5 tips for prioritising rest

So how do we get better at prioritising rest? What I keep discovering is that it’s often small, simple changes that turn out to be the most impactful in my life, and this area of learning to rest has been no exception.

Sometimes we can think that we need to rearrange everything, but more often than not even just a small dial change will completely altered the direction and course of things. So here’s 5 simple tips to get you started:

1. Start now

It can be really easy to put rest off – or to see it as something to start when everything else is done. And so often we end up prioritising all those pressing little tasks first; but it’s wisdom to prioritise what is truly important first. The truth is that there will never be a perfect time, and there will always be something else vying for your time; more laundry, more emails, more chores, but choose to let some of that unimportant stuff slide…

2. Start small 

Sometimes we can put off rest because we think it only counts if it’s a full day, but it helps to think of it in more manageable ways such as taking small moments of pause throughout the day – even just taking 5, 10 or 15 minute breaks between tasks just be still can make a huge difference. In fact, it’s been proven that taking regular small pauses can actually improve your productivity!

3. Start diaring it

I know this idea might feel a bit jarring at first, but we basically diary and plan everything else in our lives - so why not our rest time as well? I have found this such a helpful practice because if I don’t get really intentional about carving out some downtime in my week, often it simply won’t happen - or it will get pushed out as soon as other things start to crowd in.

4. Start with some no’s

Remember what I said about not just cramming more into a day? Well in order to say ‘yes’ to prioritising rest, we will also need to practice saying no. It’s so easy to get drawn into thinking we have to do everything, but wisdom is about choosing to do the right things, not everything! So think about what God is asking you to prioritise in this season, and then try turning down a few projects or commitments - even good things that don’t align.

5. Start making it fun!

Forgive me for perhaps pointing out the obvious but rest isn’t meant to be hard, onerous, boring, or to feel like just another task or chore. It’s meant to be easy and enjoyable! So think about what activities truly feel restful in the best possible ways to you. What re-energises you, gives you life and allows your spirit space to breathe? Running, cycling, painting, music, baking, gardening, getting out into nature, seeing friends? Work out what those things are - then get intentional and plan to do it regularly!

Finding more help

I hope these were some helpful pointers!

However, if you want to go a bit deeper on this issue, why not also check out my new devotional book, Sand Between Your Toes #sandbetweenyourtoes for lots more ideas. You can even download some samples pages here for free, if you’d like to try it before you buy it.

You can also now access a FREE Moments of Pause: How To Guide which offers ten simple tips on how to slow down and pursue small moments of pause in your every day.

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