Do you pursue rest as vigilantly as productivity?

We value productivity. We want to be able to observe and measure improvement and results. Rest doesn’t seem very productive. We say we long for it. We say we want more of it. We declare we desperately need it. But do we pursue it?

Look at the patterns of your life. What do you pursue? That’s a clue into what you value.

We approach productivity with intention. We connect causes and effects of productivity. As we understand and experience the results, we continue to hone our productivity skills. But rest seems more like a retreat away from something (often, productivity) instead of into something.

We need to pursue rest. It is an intentional retreat into something, into God’s presence and His pattern for doing life His way. There is purpose in rest. We feel the desperate need for it because we need what God purposes and what we ignore. It is much more productive than we believe it to be. It is tied to the flow of our lives, and it isn’t just for night-time. It’s also not just for Sundays.

When have you experienced the need for rest? Do you notice any patterns across months and years of your life? How can you be more intentional about incorporating rest into your life as God intends?