Are You Too Busy to Rest?
Why we're scared to slow down
If you stopped working and striving for a full day this week, what do you honestly think would happen? For many of us, that question feels less peaceful than it should. Our schedules are packed, our minds are noisy, and even when we try to rest, we carry the weight of everything left undone.
In this convicting episode of our ongoing series, 10 Keys to the Universe, Lynn and Austin take a closer look at the fourth commandment through the lens of the Old Testament and the light of the New Testament. They’ll explore why rest can be so difficult, the way God’s invitation is less about rest and more about trust, and practical ways you can incorporate a Sabbath mindset in your busy life.
The fourth commandment doesn’t just give permission to rest; it reveals who God is and who we are in relation to him. Long before rest became a luxury, it was a rhythm woven into creation itself, a gift meant to free people from striving and remind them they were never meant to carry life on their own. If slowing down doesn’t feel like an option, this conversation is for you.
Highlights from this Episode
Today, we are talking about the 4th commandment as stated in Exodus 20:8-11:
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
What is the Sabbath?
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat which literally means “to stop”. It’s a day to stop working, wanting, and worrying. In the original context, this command was given to the people of Israel. And likely it was such a relief in many ways, given that they had been enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years!
Exodus 1 says, “The Egyptians ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.” This was difficult, exhausting, and often miserable.
But God rescued them out of their slavery, gave them the Ten Commandments, and reconstituted them as his chosen people in the world to be a mirror to the pagan nations, showing them who God was and encouraging others to follow him. One of the ways they could reflect God was by practicing the regular rhythm of the Sabbath.
By the way—God himself did this! After God created the entirety of the created world out of nothing, he rested. Genesis 2:1 says, “By the 7th day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the 7th day, he rested.”
God didn’t need to rest, but he chose to rest. This choice was to be reflected and practiced by his people, the nation of Israel. Isaiah 40:28 makes clear he does not faint or grow weary. God rested to set a pattern for us to follow, and to remind us that our lives depend not on our work but on his. That’s the theological heart of the whole commandment right there.
God rested to set a pattern for us to follow, and to remind us that our lives depend not on our work but on his. That’s the theological heart of the whole commandment right there.
You’ve probably tried to rest and ended up overwhelmed by the to-do lists of life: the laundry, get the kids off to this event, remember the Zoom meeting, plan what to bring for dinner for your small group. Maybe you don’t even have the luxury of a day off because you’ve got to work two jobs, or overtime to pay the bills, and you’re scraping by just to make ends meet.
We can often see ourselves in the attitudes and behaviors of the ancient Israelites. Just like us, they knew how important it is to rest. And yet when they tried it, they often felt overwhelmed by the things they felt like they needed to do. They were tempted to forego the regular rhythm of a Sabbath and get work done.
Does the Sabbath Apply Today?
While the command to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” isn’t repeated explicitly in the New Testament, Jesus frequently rested and encouraged others to do that same.
Think about the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’”
Most women can relate to Martha. They’re the ones in the kitchen or taking care of the house, seeing all the things that need to be done. However, Jesus responds this way: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
This story puts two different ways of living and being in the world before us, and forces us to ask ourselves who we are, and what tendencies we default towards:
Are you like Mary, who is willing to stop what she’s doing, rest at the feet of Jesus, and listen and learn from him?
Are you like Martha, who has a great desire to serve, and yet is unwilling to rest because responsibilities and tasks need to get done first?
Common Reasons Why We Resist Rest
1. We love efficiency and productivity, partly because of our desires and partly thanks to our environment. In our performance-based culture, action is rewarded. There are financial incentives, but also respect, reputation, and power.
2. We don’t want to be seen as weak or lazy. Whether we say it out loud or not, our value as human beings feels tied to how productive we are on any given day.
3. Fear that things will fall apart if we don’t rest. Many times, our fear drives us to be busy and productive because other people—or even circumstances beyond our control—depend on us.
4. Fear of getting left behind or overlooked. Busyness has become a status symbol that implies you are “scarce and in demand”. This perpetual motion means that slowing down feels like a threat to your self-worth or professional relevance.
5. Not wanting to say ‘no’ to anything or anyone. Sometimes saying ‘no’ feels like you’re letting people down. So we don’t carve out time in our schedules for dedicated rest because we’ve said ‘yes’ to everyone and everything.
6. Slowing down means self-reflection, and that’s scary. Being alone with your thoughts, and no distractions, means you might have to deal with past pain, trauma, or other hurts of life. You may feel conviction and realize that your spiritual life is not what it should be.
4 Pillars of a Theology of Rest
Here are four things the Sabbath invites us to rest in; pay attention to which one lands hardest for you. Because that’s probably the one that has the most to say to you right now.
1. Rest in God’s Provision
It is possible that you don’t actually trust God to provide if you rest? When our worth gets tied to our output, we literally cannot afford to rest. The belief becomes, “If I stop producing, I stop mattering.” The Sabbath is God saying, “Put it down. I’ve got this. Your provision does not depend on your performance,” and for many of us, that’s genuinely hard to believe.
2. Rest in God’s Power
This one is a little uncomfortable to say out loud, but it needs to be named. Many of us are exhausted because we’re convinced that if we stop managing things, everything will fall apart. Underneath is the belief that we’re the ones holding everything together. The Sabbath gently asks: Do you believe God has power over the things you’re gripping so tightly? Because if he does, you can put them down for a day.
3. Rest in God’s Promises
This hits especially hard for high-achievers or anyone who grew up where love felt conditional. The question underneath is: Do you believe God’s promises never change, no matter how productive you are? Do you actually believe his love is there even when you do nothing to earn it? In that sense, the Sabbath becomes a weekly practice of receiving love you didn’t earn. And for many of us, that’s deeply counterintuitive.
4. Rest in God’s Plan
Much of our striving and inability to slow down comes from anxiety about the future. Life feels uncertain, so we cope by staying in motion, because motion feels like control. But if you truly believe God has a real, active plan for your life, then you can put things down. The Sabbath teaches us to release the illusion of control before we desperately need to.
Practical Ways to Rest Your Body, Mind, and Spirit
Body
Pay attention: Notice when you’re stressed or fatigued
Sleep: Think about sleep quality and quantity
Nutrition: Pay attention to the foods you are consuming
Exercise: Helps combat disease, depression, anxiety and mood disorders
Breathing: Find videos on box breathing, deep breathing, and mindful breathing
Mind
Be aware: Realize that your mind is a battleground
Quiet: Cut out the noise and filter your inputs
Unplug: Turn off notifications, limit screen time, unsubscribe from emails
Spend time in nature: Creation is restoration
Get creative: Read the Bible and other great books; find life-giving hobbies
Spirit
Embrace solitude and silence: Sit alone with your thoughts
Worship: Listen to worship music and praise God wholeheartedly
Express gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal; regularly give thanks for blessings
Sabbath as a weekly practice: Protect one day and dedicate it to God
Prayer: Talk regularly with God
A Daily Prayer for Rest
You may want to start your day with a short prayer like this one:
Lord, I feel stressed, overburdened and burned out. I don’t have time to rest. There’s so much I need to do. Help me lay down my burdens at your feet. Help me to trust that you are near. Help me to receive your love and acknowledge your presence at every moment. I believe that you have a plan for my life, and that your power is perfected in my weakness. I want to find comfort and refuge in you. Be with me today and allow my mind, body and spirit to rest in your promises. Amen.
At the end of the day, the Sabbath is an invitation to rest and to remember that your life depends not on your work but on God’s. It gently exposes the beliefs underneath our busyness: that our worth is tied to our output, that everything will fall apart if we let go, that love must be earned, and that the future is all on us.
In place of those fears, God offers something better: rest in his provision, his power, his promises, and his plan. This doesn’t mean nothing matters; it just means it’s not all on you. As you practice the Sabbath consistently, you will release the illusion of control and learn, slowly but surely, how to truly rest.