A Restful Life
By Ana Mullan
(From the January - March 2020 issue of VOX)
January, the month when many people make New Year’s resolutions. We want to start another year looking at life differently. The resolutions can vary but there is one resolution, however, that it is quite popular: to become fitter and to do more exercise. I am guessing here but I think that membership to gyms increases quite a lot during this month. Once the resolution has been made one has to stick to it, though sometimes it is not as easy as one thought. Come March the desire is not quite as strong.
Three years ago the resolution fell upon me. I had a problem with my leg and I ended up in A&E followed by three days in hospital where I was diagnosed with a clot. The outcome was to take medication for the rest of my life and to make sure that I exercise. Since walking was not my favourite type of exercise, I decided to try swimming. With a pool nearby I had no excuse not to swim most days.
The pool, only 20 metres long, proved a challenge for my doggy way of swimming. I decided to get a tutor so I watched YouTube videos on how to swim the breaststroke, which seemed the easiest. I would watch something one day and try to practice it the following day.
One of the things I learned about the breaststroke is that, to move forward, you have to learn to glide, which is when your body is resting, totally relaxed and carried by the water, after having done the stroke and the kick. The rest is as important as the other two movements.
It is a helpful analogy as we start a new year. Our society continually pulls us to do more and rest sometimes is seen as a waste of time. It is not only the speed that it is forced upon us but also its effects on society. More people are living anxious lives.
“Life as a disciple of Jesus is about what God does, not about what we do.”
Christianity is countercultural. The Christian calendar starts with Advent, usually at the beginning of December. Advent is about waiting; not about thinking how much one can accomplish in the coming year but resting on what God is going to do. Life as a disciple of Jesus is about what God does, not about what we do.
This leads me to another thought, there are two types of rest: the external and the internal one. I believe that the external one can only be fully enjoyed when we practice the inner one.
Have you ever gone away on holidays and found it hard to switch off when you arrive? Many people say that after a busy period of work or family issues, it takes them two or three days to start to feel that they are on holidays.
Rest is more than stopping and doing nothing, though that is important as well. Rest is an inward attitude of our hearts. It is realising that, no matter the circumstances, I am not the one fully in charge. There is Somebody who is in control and I can rest on Him to give me what I need for every situation.
Rest and trust are intimately related. I cannot rest if I don’t trust. Where does this inner rest come from? It is from knowing and experiencing God’s profound love for us, as it is written: “Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content.” (Psalm 131:2)
Jesus, the Master of life, knew how to rest despite the fact that He had people looking to be healed, religious groups trying to trick Him and wanting to get rid of Him and a bunch of disciples who were slow at learning.
He knew that He was deeply loved and that the Father was well pleased with Him. His heart’s orientation was always towards God, to listen to His voice and to obey Him. He portrayed what a life lived under God’s leadership should look like.
For that reason, He was able to sleep peacefully while a storm was taking place. He was able to keep quiet when religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery and pretended to want to know His opinion. Eventually, when He spoke, His words sent them all away. He was able to decide when to answer Pilate’s questioning because He knew that Pilate was not in charge after all.
Instead of being full of anxiety or fear, Jesus shows us how we can live lives that become attractive to others because they are lived so differently. They are active lives like everybody around but everything that they do comes from a place of rest, a place of trust.
The beautiful thing about following Jesus is, that we don’t need to try harder at being at rest, quite the opposite in fact. We need to let go of our own desire to control, and work with Him, to acknowledge that actually we cannot make it on our own.
So, if by any chance you are still deciding about a New Year’s resolution, may I suggest you choose rest? It is an invitation from Jesus that cannot be declined.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:29-30 (MSG)
Ana Mullan is from Argentina but has lived in Ireland for 35 years, the last 18 in Dublin. She is an artist, a spiritual director, retreat facilitator and an enthusiastic grandmother.
