This is the first of many posts to come. Hopefully they'll be on a regular basis, but I can't make any promises.
Today is Monday, and because of that I'd like to dedicate this post to a topic I know all too well: Busy-ness. As a college student I am constantly trying to add items to my schedule that will make my life (or my resume) better in some way. Whether it is squeezing in extra time at the gym, lunch with friends, or one more episode of Arrested Development, I find that I never have enough of anything in my life. Or at least that is what I tell myself.
This past week was an odd one. I was busy with a hyper-packed schedule on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday it started to snow. My only Wednesday class was cancelled, as were all of my Thursday classes. The university actually closed, so I couldn't even get work done if I wanted to. I have no Friday classes, but the university was open Friday so I had a mildly productive day.
Last week I saw two extremes of activity at play, and it got me thinking. During the earlier part of the week I was in the fast lane, knocking down tasks and moving on to the next item on my list, but once the university closed on Wednesday, I had nothing to do. With no classes to worry about for several days, I sunk into a state of complete and utter indifference. I woke up late Thursday, spent a couple hours in the snow with friends, and then dedicated the rest of my afternoon/evening to Netflix.
My day Thursday was filled with a general state of apathy that many students tend to think of as rest. Sleep in late, do only what you want to do, and then end the day nodding off to an episode of Scandal on a futon guaranteed to give you back problems. Don't worry about the assignments and meetings, they'll all still be there when the snow melts. I have nothing against sleeping in, or playing in the snow, or even Scandal (Kerry Washington is among my Top 5 of God's creations), but to think that my Thursday was a "restful day" would be a mistake. It wouldn't be a blog post if I didn't disagree with some generally held belief shared among my peers, now would it?
As college students, we really know how to make ourselves busy. There is always a concert/class/club meeting/worship night/bowling night/dance/party to fill up our time, to say nothing of exercise, eating, sleeping, and homework. We tend to view activities as either "required" or "enjoyable" and if we are lucky we can combine them and be productive and entertain ourselves at the same time. We may even measure our success by comparing the number of fun things we do versus the number of required things we have to do. For some of us, value is found in packing the schedule tight with so many required things that we feel important, leaving no wiggle room for coffee or a late bus or catching up with a friend in the hall. I myself am guilty of this. For others, success is found in filling the schedule with fun exciting adventures. How many parties can I hit this weekend? Can I make it out to the slopes Sunday for a few hours before I have to get back to school on Monday? Do I have time to rock climb in the gym between classes? I am guilty of this as well.
The point I am trying to drive home is this: we college students have an abundance of things we can pile onto our plate, and most of us try everything at least once. But I want to redirect your focus, even just for a few minutes, to this thought: When was the last time you rested?
I'm not going to use a big R, or come up with an acronym for the word, mostly because despite writing a blog post about rest, I have a lot to get done today.
Rest implies an effect, not an action. Rest implies that you are recharged and ready to go on to the next project. Rest implies that you have processed your previous activity; that you have healed or grown from the stress it put on you. I fall asleep on my couch with my face in a textbook more often than I'd like to admit. I don't rest, I drift into sleep thinking of what I didn't get done that remains to be done tomorrow.
In Psalm 46, David writes that though the mountains fall into the sea, and thought the waters roar and foam, God is our refuge. We have a safe place to turn, and it is one which I know personally I neglect far too often. David writes, "Be still, and know that I am God,"but I find that hard to do. I'm a sleep-when-you-are-dead kind of guy, but the Lord is saying here that we've been called to rest in him.
CS Lewis writes in Screwtape that two tools of God's glory are Music and Silence, but that the world as it is now remains in the "Kingdom of Noise."
I need help clearing noise from my life, and I'm sure I am not the only one. This doesn't mean I'm going to do nothing to be productive-quite the contrary. In fact, by truly resting and reflecting on that will of God in my life, it is my hope that my efforts will be more focused, more intentional, and more effective.
I started this blog as a simple way to be intentional with my thoughts. Reflection is a necessary part of rest. Understanding what God is doing and where you fit into all of it is crucial for believers, and that cannot happen if you are charging blindly forward trying to be effective by yourself.
If you read this far, congratulations. I apologize, but the first post was bound to be a little long anyways.
Check out this link I discovered a few years back: The Quiet Place
I hope you have a restful, productive, and intentional Monday.
–Cam
