“Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you.” (St Augustine, Confessions)

We live in a culture shaped by excessive productivity and constant noise. In essence, we are living in ‘hustle culture’. Whether in our schools, universities, work or even in ministry, we are constantly trying to do more or to do better. These are all so good, but they were never meant to dominate and become the centre of our lives. We were made for silence, rest and recreation. Rest and recreation are so much more than endless scrolling on Instagram and binge-watching season after season of your favourite tv show. We were made for so much more than all of this.

In my own life, I’ve experienced burnout multiple times. Whether it was at the end of my high school exams, after mission or at the end of a massive block of assignments at uni. At the end of each of these times, I felt as if I had nothing to give, whether it be academically or even in my own life. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been on a bit of a journey, trying to find activities and ways to invite silence, rest and recreation into my life.

Throughout the Bible, we can see how God calls the Israelites (and us too) to rest and how Jesus goes off to quiet places to be with the Father. We see from the very beginning that God delighted in his creation on the 7th day by resting (Genesis 2:2-3). From this, we can see that it is good and holy to delight in the fruits of our labour. In the New Testament, we see multiple times, instances where Our Lord went away to be alone to rest and pray. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls us to come to Him in our weariness and to surrender our heavy burdens to Him. The Church highlights that our lives follow a natural rhythm of rest and work (CCC 2184). Both are equally important and draw us deeper into the heart of God.

If the world defines rest and recreation as a pastime, diversion or exercise that affords relaxation and enjoyment, I believe that Jesus would define it as a time that brings us into the secret place with the Father.

We rest not only for ourselves, but rather, we rest so that we can better love and serve the Lord and those around us (see Mark 12:31). If rest and recreation are so important, what does it look like in our lives?

I’ve come to understand that rest and recreation are more than things I do when I’m bored or have some free time on my hands. It is a combination of some lifestyle changes as well as those one-off things/habits. I found that in sticking to these lifestyle changes, I’ve felt more myself and ready to say ‘yes’ to the Lord more wholeheartedly. The one-off things are a list of life-giving and restorative activities I turn to when I need a boost. The list below is by no means exhaustive so feel free to experiment and find out what works for you.

One-Off Things

Go deeper with the Lord: pray and go to Mass or Adoration (a time of rest is a great way to be more intentional with Him)

Create something: whether this be by sewing some clothes, building a Lego set/IKEA flatpack or bake/cook something

Get outside: go for a walk/run, play a sport, have a picnic with friends, go to the beach (this list can go on forever, rain or shine!)

Read a book or watch a movie: curl up with your drink of choice and read a book or watch a movie

Reach out to a loved one: call a family member or friend (or maybe write a letter/send a care package), catch up with a loved one for coffee/brunch

Be a tourist in your own city: the cities we live in are filled with hidden gems, so go and explore them! (urban list has a really good list of things to do wherever you may be)

Catch up on life admin: life can get busy so a moment of timeout is a really great time to make those appointments and get on top of those things that can be forgotten in the busyness of life

Lifestyle Changes

Look after your sleep: stick to a decent time to go to sleep and wake up at your first alarm!

Set app limits: discern the apps that you find suck the life out of you and set a time limit on them so that you don’t spend all day on them

Ultimately, rest and recreation are meant to draw us closer to God and into His heart for us. Find what works best for you and stick to it. The journey towards God is one full of ups and downs but along the way we are called to rest in the Father’s loving embrace.

Ask God to reveal the areas of your heart and life that are in need of some rest and how He is calling you to rest and recreate today and in this new year.

Father, set our hearts apart for you in rest and recreation. Open our hearts to receive your restorative grace. May we be made new in the cycle of rest and work that you instituted from the dawn of creation.

Sts. Mary and Martha, pray for us.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

An Invitation to Rest and Recreation

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