A HOPEFUL HEART â—½ YOU
Reason to Rest
by Christina Oberon
I don’t know about you, but I often feel like I need to earn my rest. Like I have to check off enough boxes on my to-do list before I can sit down and breathe. There’s always something else that could be done like a load of laundry, an email to answer, a project to work on. Even when I finally slow down, guilt creeps in. “You could be doing more,” it whispers. “Don’t be lazy.”
But lately, I’ve been asking myself, "Where does that voice come from? And why does it have so much power?"
Somewhere along the way, many of us adopted the belief that rest is a reward instead of a rhythm. That it has to be justified. But the truth is, we don’t need a reason to rest. Rest is a part of being human. It’s not weakness or laziness; it’s wisdom.
Our culture glorifies hustle. It teaches us to measure our worth by our productivity, to wear busyness like a badge of honor. I have fallen into that trap many times. But God’s rhythm is different.
From the very beginning, He wove rest into creation. On the seventh day, He rested, not because He was tired, but because rest is holy. Rest is sacred.
And if God didn’t need a reason to rest, why do we?
I’ve learned that my body will start whispering when it needs rest - fatigue, brain fog, irritability. If I don’t listen, it starts shouting - headaches, burnout, exhaustion. And my soul? It sends its own signals. When I start snapping at the people I love, feeling overwhelmed by the smallest things, or struggling to pray, and that’s usually a sign that I’ve been running on empty.
Rest isn’t just physical. It’s emotional, mental, and spiritual. Sometimes rest looks like a nap. Sometimes it’s stepping away from social media. Sometimes it’s saying no to a good thing so I can say yes to what I truly need.
There’s a passage in Matthew 11 that I return to often. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He doesn’t say, “Come to me after you’ve finished everything on your list.” He doesn’t ask us to prove our worth or productivity first. He simply invites us to come.
That verse reminds me that rest is not a luxury, it’s a gift. A gift from a loving God who knows our limits and cares for our hearts.
So if you’re like me, always trying to do more, always feeling like rest must be earned, please know that you don’t need a reason to rest. You don’t have to explain it, justify it, or apologize for it.
Rest because your body needs it.
Rest because your soul craves it.
Rest because you were never meant to carry it all.
Rest because God welcomes you into it.
And when you do, may you find not just physical restoration, but deep peace. The kind that quiets the guilt and drowns out the lies. The kind that reminds you that you are already enough.
Even when you’re resting.