“Embracing His Presence”
Dear writer, I hope you had a good week and began to develop your growth mindset! This week, we’re going to take a step back and look at another critical area of development as writer. The area of rest.
You see, writer, we are designed in the image of our creator God. God made this world through His words, and we create and impact worlds through our words, too. But if our King needed to rest after His work of creating, we would be presumptuous to think we could do without it.
You see, God designed rest to be a constant part of both the creative process and of life itself. But before we dive in, let’s take a look at some others whose rhythms of rest were an integral part of their life and growth…
Rest in History
Brother Lawrence is a great example of one who developed rhythms of rest. After being injured as a soldier in the Thirty Years War, Brother Lawrence pursued his passion for God by becoming a Carmelite friar. Assigned to work in the kitchen, Brother Lawrence developed early on a habit of seeking and enjoying God’s presence at all times, regardless of his activity. As his practice of God’s presence increased, so did Brother Lawrence’s peace. That peace drew many to seek him out for wise counsel. By the end of his life, the humble friar had advised hundreds, including men of power and influence. Several of those conversations and letters were collected and published and still impact lives today.
You see, writer, sometimes rest isn’t so much about taking a break—though we absolutely need daily and weekly rest—but about finding about learning to walk daily in God’s presence. That place of rest where we experience His joy and strength in all we do. And here’s the beautiful thing… When we begin to walk with Him in that moment by moment way, we begin to be source of rest for others, too.
Rest in the Bible
Jesus was one of the very best examples of rest. He consistently rose early or stole away late to spend time with His Father. Those times of communing rest spilled over into His ministry, too, and enabled Him to work heartily and to move with confidence and clarity, remaining in step with His Father, even in the most trying circumstances. Even sleeping in the middle of a storm. A storm He stilled as soon as He woke.
Here’s the thing, writer. Sometimes rest looks like getting up early or staying up late to make sure we have that one-on-one time with the Lord. It’s in those times we begin to experience and know Him—and our identity in Him—in a deeper way than ever before. When we do that, His rest begins to permeate even the storms of life.
Rest in Life
I began practicing rest in life after I published my first books. Feeling a little depleted, a session on “Sense Writing” at a local writers group caught my eye. Going, I learned a whole new way of simply enjoying God’s creation, people, and places—in every situation—and capturing it descriptively. I still use this kind of writing to refresh me, or to capture my joy when I see a particularly beautiful sunrise or bit of scenery. This kind of writing has expanded my own creative writing, and it’s a practice I’ve encouraged others to use, too.
Rest in Your Life
Learning to rest and refill as a creative is really all about learning the practice of gratitude and allowing yourself to regularly see and enjoy the moments of beauty and wisdom God has created. And sometimes even to fight to enjoy those moments! Because here’s the other thing…
While God’s rest is a promise, it is something we must “labor” to enter into. There is always a world ready to keep us harried and helpless. But here’s the good news. The rest of God is something we are designed to experience, regardless of how perfect or imperfect our life currently is. Let me show you…
- So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. – Hebrews 4:9-11
- You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. – Isaiah 26:3
- For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. – Romans 14:17
- Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. – Isaiah 9:7
You see, writer, rest is both a habit and a state of mind. It’s something we can practice in our daily and weekly rhythms, and it’s something we can experience every moment of our lives. And though it may be a fight to truly enter in, it’s something that we are meant to experience in a daily and increasing way. Because here’s the thing…
Learning to walk in the rest of God as a creative is about learning to acknowledge His rule and reign in every area of life. So that His life can begin to indwell all you do.
Where to Start with Rest
So are you ready to start developing rhythms of rest in your life? Here are a few things to get you started!
- Practice the Presence of God. Begin to engage in ongoing conversation with the Lord throughout the day as you work and live and play. Turning your mind to that increasing awareness of Him is one of the best ways to begin to see the Lord and His wisdom at work in your life and to begin to experience His rest in every area.
- Develop Gratitude. Gratitude is great way to begin ongoing conversation with the Lord. Intentionally recognize and thank Him for all of life’s little and large blessings! As you do, conversational prayer will become more natural, and your joy will become more consistent and will increase as your awareness of His great love and presence increases. Because here’s the other thing. God dwells in the presence of the praises of His people as we begin to regularly expression our thanks to Him.
- Take Time to Celebrate. We were created in the image of our Creator God who rested on the seventh day of creation—simply to enjoy what He’d made. Taking our cue from Him, we can see that rest is the natural conclusion of the creation process. Sometimes, as creative we need to pause from doing, simply to enjoy and even to intentionally celebrate what we’ve made and God’s goodness in our lives. There are so many ways to do this! Enjoy nature. Savor a conversation with friends. Throw a party to celebrate and what God did—big and small. These daily practices not only refresh us, but turn our hearts more and more toward Him.
- Set Aside Time. Just like Jesus, we need to daily and weekly times of rest with the Lord. Consider getting up a little early or staying up a little late or carving a slice of time from your busy schedule simply to spend time in prayer and worship with the Lord. Because here’s the real deal…
Rest as a creative is really about learning to maintain our connection to our Father God, because when we remain connected to the Giver of Life, our lives comes alive all around us, and we begin to see from a whole different perspective as we more and more gain His perspective. Just like Brother Lawrence’s wisdom increased and began to impact the other friars and eventually leaders of all kinds. Just like Jesus’ peace created peace for His disciples and will one reign over the whole earth. Just like my practice of rest enabled me to help others rest. Because here’s the final thought…
Though we can often be overwhelmed as writers by the things we see and feel and experience, learning to rest is about learning to remain anchored in the One who holds our times in His hands. The One who has prepared good paths for us to walk in. As we submit ourselves increasingly to Him and to His “one thing” for us, His love and light will begin to show with greater and greater clarity in and through us, bringing His government and peace to others lives, too.
So, I encourage you, writer! Take some time today to practice His presence. Take some time this week to seek Him specially. Take some time to celebrate where He’s at work in and around you and to enjoy all He’s made. You may never realize how the gift of His peace and His presence will be imparted to others as you do.
#peace #rest #gratitude #EveryWriterWriting
