Resting

At the end of December I wrote about 2019 and my verse for 2020 and my word for the year, which is rest.

I chose rest because a significant portion of what God had been speaking to me for the last half of 2019 related to slowing down and resting in Him. Super challenge for an overachiever who literally doesn’t know how to stop doing things without reverting to binge watching TV all day and playing Sims 4. But resting with God does not equate wasting my day with useless, albeit enjoyable, entertainment. Resting with God means giving Him time and space in my life. It means slowing down, silencing my heart and listening to what He has to say.

My goals for 2020 are simple and all relate to this idea of resting, slowing and being intentional. They are as follows:

  • Healthy Wife Life

  • Fuel my Soul

  • Simplify the Home

  • Crowded Table

Healthy Wife Life is all about intentionally growing in health (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, etc.) as I approach becoming a wife. It’s about learning to love cooking nutritious meals and moving my body for joy and diligently fighting lies internally and externally. It involves marriage prep, both formally and informally as I work through the transition from fiercely independent BA single woman to BA teammate/partner who is allowed to ask for and receive help.

Fueling my Soul is all about things that fuel me spiritually and emotionally, it’s the crux of the goals really. It’s implementing rhythms of rest and renewal that focus on silence and prayer. It’s about cultivating my relationship with God and creating deeper intimacy with Him knowing our time of just us is dwindling. It’s about reading more and using my hands to create art and document memories. It’s about adventure and exploration and new cities and places. Ultimately it’s about rest - not always stillness and quiet - but rest from the normal, rest from my phone, rest from responsibility and to-do lists. Its playful rest and quiet rest and the freedom to leave dishes in the sink in favor of a good book.

Simplify the Home is the most practical of the goals and it’s just about simplifying my home, becoming more sustainable in living, and getting the middle floor ready for another human to join us. It’s hard but rewarding renovations, DIY projects and ruthless elimination of junk. It’s creating a space that lends to fueling my soul and it’s being intentional with what we own, use, and buy.

Crowded Table is inspired by a great song that I will write about later but really its a collaborative goal to love others well and be the hands and feet of Christ in this dark broken world. It’s about investing in the people in my life and making time for them. It’s about getting uncomfortable for the Gospel and being a good neighbor. It’s about sacrificing pride and comfort for the glory of God.

These goals are very general and broad which is a challenge for someone who likes lists - it’s hard to cross something off that’s more of a growth direction rather than a measurable goal. I know people who love SMART goals and if that works for you - fantastic! I used to love SMART goals and accomplishing things but then I decided to let grace win and focus on the bigger picture and ask myself, even if I don’t read all the books I want to or get that house project done or read the Bible in a year - am I still growing towards becoming the person God has called me to be? Am I challenging myself enough to change and not stay stagnant while still graciously accepting my limitations? If the answer is yes, then I’ll take it.

That isn’t to say there aren’t some benchmarks I can cross-off or lists I can create - I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find a way to loosely plan out a month in advance.

In quarter one I want to:

Daily - Start my mornings with God without looking at my phone, avoid social media during the work day, put my phone to bed by 8PM, hydrate, eat well, have a skincare routine, and sleep 7-8 hours per night.

Weekly - I want to not use my phone on Sundays, joyfully participate in church community, workout regularly, have a nothing night, do a face or hair mask, and go on a date with Adrian.

Monthly - I want to Sabbath for a full-day and avoid social media for the day, make sure I’m talking to family whether through the phone or video chat, and have an intentional date with a friend.

Quarterly - I want to take a full-week off of social media, try a new workout or hike a big mountain, celebrate friends with a big meal or party, have a nothing weekend, and reassess these rhythms and adjust for the next quarter and season.

Annually - I want to take a whole month off of social media and have a restful vacation.

Throughout the year I want to read 45 books, scrapbook highlights of life with Adrian from 2016-2019, re-do the bathroom, re-do the kitchen, build the library, have a real fenced in yard and deck, and start composting.

These are small rhythms and goals to incorporate but they feed the larger goals and bring restful joy into my life.

What are some ways you’re incorporating rest into your life?