The Permission to Slow Down: Rest, Trust, and Refugee Advocacy

What is this connection between rest and doing work for the Lord or partnering with him in this work?

Today's blog is a bit different from other blog posts, but something I wanted to share with you all as I'm in this process of naming my own limitations.

It's something I'm reminded of often in this work. It's the kind of work that has endless need and limited resources. Before my day even begins I wake up to emails and texts from colleagues and strangers about all things related to refugee advocacy.

I've always worked in contexts with high need and limited resources. I grew up overseas in a ministry context, served in diverse churches and ministry settings, and taught middle school and high school students. I know cognitively that rest is something the Lord invites us to, but most frequently, I've told myself that I can rest when the work is done.

when the work is done.

But with this work, will it ever be done? While certain projects might finish, a family may be resettled in a third country, or the UN might pass a policy in favor of persecuted religious minorities, with this work, I don't think we will experience an "end" to this work until Jesus comes again.

So in the meantime, what is this relationship between rest and work? Between a day of Sabbath, and the other six days to the week?

This month, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Hebrews reflecting on this command to rest. In Hebrews, the author draws this parallel comparison between entering God‘s rest and entering the promised land. In it the author points out how the Israelites failed to enter God‘s rest because they didn’t believe his promises that he would really lead them into the promised land. Based on this illustration then (and Jesus' own practice of Sabbath and rest), our theological understanding of rest becomes tied to our faith and obedience in trusting God‘s provision, faithfulness, and promises. 

So then, what is God‘s promise in the context of refugee advocacy?

How is this invitation to trust and rest in God's promises linked to this commandment to rest? I think I could probably spend the rest of my life asking these questions, but a few things I’ve come up with for now are the following: 

• Rest is surrender...and surrender clarifies who is actually holding it all together.

  • God invites us to rest, and in resting, we surrender back to him all the things that we’ve been carrying with the acknowledgment that he has in fact, been carrying it all already. This act of surrender firms are trust and faith in our good God, in recognition that he is God and we are not.

• Rest is Prophetic.

  • This act of rest is countercultural. In so many different ways we are told that we are what we produce and our worth is measured in output, efficiency, and hustle. This is true in secular spaces, but if we're honest the culture of ministry can be just as infected with hurry. Doing things for God becomes its own kind of striving. Endless need. The work will never be done. But Sabbath rest cuts against all of it. To genuinely stop is a countercultural, prophetic act. A declaration that our identity is not rooted in what we accomplish.

• God cares way more about our hearts and who we are becoming than what we could ever do for him.

  • God is not primarily interested in our productivity but in our formation. The work we do matters, but who we are becoming through it matters more. Rest then, is one of the primary ways God shapes us.

• God is already there.

  • El Roi in the Desert. He is a fortress for the weak, vulnerable, and oppressed, and he hears the cries of those who are suffering. He is El Roi who saw Hagar the desert. He knew her name even when she felt invisible and alone. I get to glimpse His heart for the displaced when I do this work. But I cannot out-love God. He is the one who holds it all together... not me.

In slowing down, the pace or lack thereof has felt scary at times. But acknowledging that rest is not a reward for finishing the work, but an invitation right now, reminds me that there are truly more mysteries to God's character and love than I can ever fully understand. Rest is a commandment, and something I'm actively learning in this season.

If this blog post was helpful for you or you found it interesting, feel free to comment, send it to a friend, or let me know! I hope you also experience God's invitation to rest in this season and in doing so, experience the relief that you do not have to hold it all together yourself.