The title of this post seems rather counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Sure, rest may look like different things to different people, but when people think of ‘rest’ they don’t think of running around a bustling city, navigating an underground train system with barely two bars of phone signal for a map, and almost no time in-between to catch your breath before the next scheduled event.

But this is exactly the situation I found myself in when my mom, sister, and I went to the beautiful city of London for our senior trip. We were only there for five days, but our determination to see as many sights as possible, as well as secret local treasures, could not possibly be diminished by this time constraint. We ended up having about three major sights or events to see each day, with every moment in between spent exploring and running around the city till we crashed into the beds of our hotel that night.

But despite my sore ankles and desperation for sleep, I felt so refreshed when we returned to the States. 

Why? 

When we hear the word “rest,” most of us think of physical rest; we imagine a nice cup of our favorite drink beside our favorite book or TV show and a whole day to lie around and do nothing. But did you know there are seven different types of rest?

Besides physical rest, there are also mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social, and spiritual types of rest.

You see, back at home, I’ve been dealing with mental wars of my own–each wave faster and stronger than the one before. Ironically, the silence and stillness we often associate with rest was merely empty space to be filled by the battles that plagued my mind. So to me, filling my schedule with exciting events I could look forward to was restful in a way and left me feeling more refreshed and ready to take on the battles when I returned home.

In the same way, the rest you are craving may look different than just a lazy day (though those are always nice).

If you’re a writer, you might need a break from your words and time to take a walk and absorb God’s creation.

If you’ve been restlessly searching for Spiritual answers, maybe you need to rest in Jesus and realize He will reveal what He needs you to know at the right time.

If you’ve been helping others navigate their emotions and feelings, perhaps you need someone to talk to about your own.

I say all of this to encourage you that if you’ve been trying to ‘rest’, and feel like it just leaves you more anxious or exhausted than before, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is likely a form of rest the Lord wants to provide that, despite seeming irrelevant, might leave you more refreshed than you could’ve ever hoped for.

So hold fast to Him, rest in Him, and enjoy all of the seasons you walk through by living in the hope of Christ. And be open to different types of rest and how God might use them to strengthen you in ways better than you could have ever imagined.

Best wishes,

Kamryn