We Are Terrible at “Resting”
Daily Reading: Genesis 2, Psalm 2, Matthew 2, Proverbs 2
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
Genesis 2:2-3
On the 7th Day, God rested. Such a powerful verse.
I have frequently in the past marveled at the fact that the God of the Universe, the creator of all things, also needs time to rest.
As we read yesterday, human beings were made in God’s image, and if God needed a day of rest, it is silly to think that we shouldn’t ruthlessly guard this day of rest as well.
This concept is one that I have written on before, heard countless sermons on, and read in several books. However, there is one critical part of that verse that I have never heard taught on.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day…”
God had finished his work.
The job was complete.
God had gotten into a good place, where he could now rest.
There have been seasons in my life where I have been great at guarding time to rest, and seasons where I have been a 0/10 at this.
I hear so many people lament the fact that they really need to learn how to rest better, and yet it is very rarely a priority for almost anyone in our society.
When making our New Year’s Resolutions, setting goals for 2026, crafting our intentions for this coming year, how often do we hear people say, “This year, I am learning to rest better?”
Almost never.
The biggest reason is that we have a tendency in our world today to take on more and more and more things, and we feel like there are just not enough hours in the week to get them all done. Our work is never done, so we find it impossible to rest.
God finished his work, so that he could rest.
Two Stumbling Blocks
I have found that most people struggle with two fundamental stumbling blocks that keep them from being able to rest well.
- They are poor planners or bad at managing their time. Whether it be because they have taken on too many things, or are simply not great at managing their time, their work is almost never done. They need that 7th day to catch up!
- They have not learned what type of rest actually provides them genuine rejuvenation.
Poor Planning
If you truly desire to learn how to rest more effectively in 2026, it is important to recognize that your body needs rest in a variety of ways. The first thing you need to do is determine where you all need rest.
If you are in a job, you certainly need at least one day a week where you are not working. If you are a student, you should take one day a week to not study or think about school. If you are an athlete or someone that just loves working out, your body needs at least one rest day to recover.
In 2026, one that I am personally adding is one day without my phone in my pocket. We live in a world fueled by dopamine addiction. The constant pull of our smart phones keeps us distracted, always tethered to the world, and has killed our ability to simply be present. If your brain is constantly stimulated, there can be no rest.
I would challenge you to consider this as well. Leave it on the charger one day a week. Check it once an hour to see if you missed any important calls, and then go back to living your life.
I am personally excited to see what this weekly dopamine detox does for me in 2026.
Along with the list above, ask yourself what weekly activities are stressors, chores, etc. and which are life giving. I know lots of people that LOVE mowing the lawn on their riding lawn mower while listening to music, an audiobook, or a podcast. For them, this is not work, this is a chance to get away from all distraction and enjoy time outside. I know people that love folding laundry (as funny as that might sound). They find it restful and peaceful creating order from chaos, especially if they are a busy mom or dad, and it is some quiet time alone.
I also know people who loathe mowing the lawn and laundry is the bane of their existence.
You have to know yourself well enough to know what is work and what is rest. This is the first step to becoming a better planner of rest.
You need one day that is truly free of work, in all of its forms.
From there, we need to craft a weekly schedule that actually allows you to get done what you need to get done in six days.
If you are a student, what does your schedule look like for the upcoming two weeks? What tests do you have? What assignments are due? How much time are those going to require outside of school?
In your career, what deadlines are approaching? What are your highest priorities for the next week? What all needs to get done? Is there anything you could potentially say no to, because it is not really that big of a needle mover compared to other things you could be using your time on? How many hours will these things require?
What are all of those extra “chores” that need to be done each week for you? Every one of us is in a different season of life that requires more of these or less. What is on your list?
Grocery shopping, laundry, dishes, mowing the lawn, etc.
As a parent of four kids still at home, varsity basketball coach, and vice president of a company, my list is longer than one of my children’s list. However, if they don’t plan appropriately, their laundry never gets put away and their room is a disaster. It is easy at each stage of life to look back at the previous stage and think, “If only they realized how much time they truly have. They have no idea…”
However, it is also important to remember that we can sleep 8 hours a night, and in 6 days, still have 96 waking hours. It is all about how we use them.
We could go grocery shopping on Thursday evening, but we would rather watch an episode on Netflix. We could go for that run at 7 PM on Wednesday, but we get stuck in a group text for 45 minutes. We could knock out the laundry on Saturday, but we push it off to Sunday.
“I can do that later.”
Poor planning paired with procrastination leaves us in a death spiral feeling like we never have enough time in the week.
The result is we feel stressed, burnt out, and need to chase the next dopamine hit from our cell phone, iPad, or TV. We need to just “veg out for a little bit before getting back to it”. We think we are “resting” in these short spurts on the couch, but we don’t actually leave recharged.
Fight back against this trap. Plan out when you are going to get done what you need to get done each week, and then stick to it. Take back control of your life with a little bit of intentional planning.
It is worth it.
God finished his work. Then he rested.
Genuine Rejuvenation
In today’s world, the second thing that holds most of us back from finding true rest, is filling our days with little moments of “micro-rest” on some form of a screen.
By chasing LOTS of short term “rest” every single day, we sacrifice things that truly fill our cup. Whether it is games on our phone, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, eBooks, Netflix, or podcasts, we feel like we are sneaking in time to do things we enjoy. We are “finding little moments of rest” and our brain is never able to truly slow down.
Some of these things certainly hold more value than others. I would argue reading a good book or listening to a podcast on an intellectually stimulating topic holds more value than doomscrolling Facebook or mindlessly watching TikTok videos. However, if we do any of these things to the point where we are not getting done what we need to get done in six days, we are sacrificing that beautiful 7th day.
We are fooling ourselves into thinking that we are getting rest, when really we are keeping ourselves stuck on the hamster wheel.
Additionally, when we believe that we are recharging our batteries with these activities, we often do these at the expense of activities that actually fill our cup.
I have a friend that absolutely loves playing music. About a year ago he seemed more stressed than normal. Instead of asking him about what was going on at work or what might be happening in his personal life, I asked him if he was still playing weekly with his band. He told me that he had gotten away from it. This beautiful thing that was rejuvenating for him each week had fallen by the wayside.
What fills your cup?
Playing music? Spending time in nature? Going for a run? Painting? Game night with friends? Breakfast with your men’s or women’s group? Wine night at a restaurant? Photography?
How did you do at prioritizing these things in 2025?
Did you guard time for these things fiercely or allow these activities that truly give you life to be crowded out by the newest episodes of a Netflix series?
Don’t get me wrong, it is totally ok to have a favorite show. It is ok to occasionally watch YouTube. These things are not inherently evil. However, if we don’t plan our time well enough to get done what we need to get done to guard a day of rest, and if we allow these forms of screen based entertainment to crowd out things that provide more genuine rejuvenation, we never really find peace.
We burn out.
The infinite God of the Universe, creator of all things, needed a day of rest.
We are created in his image.
In 2026, let’s learn to rest well!
Daily Reflection & Dialogue
What activities genuinely fill your cup when you prioritize time for them and how can you guard more time for these in 2026? What are the most common distractions that keep you stuck in a pattern of “micro-rest” and sabotage your ability to guard true time for rejuvenation?
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