Written to myself, because I am guilty of not resting and to the other reader who is feeling tired as well.

What time is it?  Am I late?  ahhhh….

I wake up tired.

The instant I am conscious I feel the weight of a thousand different tasks that need my attention and energy.  My brain scurries down the list of todo’s before work.  Do I have to ship any packages today?  Do I have time for breakfast?  What am I going to make for lunch?  Do I have to get into work early because of a meeting?  Should I shave today?  Have to take Peanut out.  I wish I had time to read, I was too tired to read last night.

This is a world that ends up defining me, by what I get done and what I accomplish; by what I do not complete and what I fail in.

Maybe your life isn’t quite like this or maybe you can relate a little to this situation.  I’m trying to find rest and peace in this fast paced world where getting things done is elevated to a lofty rung on the ladder of success.  I believe being driven by a todo list will drain us of life.  Every task becomes a looming shadow, ready to place its weight on our shoulders as it nears the front of our queue.

For me, the last few weeks I’ve been trying to be conscious of reversing the cause-effect relationship of to be and to do; letting who I am define what I do, instead of what I do define who I am.  Therefore, in the face of a thousand tasks needing to get done, I will take time out to work on my breathing, to quiet my mind, and to pray to God for help to engage the todos as he has called me to do.

I find working on my breathing very important.  Most of the day I will take short frantic breaths with my mouth, way more than the “healthy” 5-10 deep breaths per minute, that Rob Bell references as scientifically proven to be the “right” amount of breaths needed for an adult human body.  As  I focus on my breathing, fill my lungs entirely with air through my nose, hold for a period that is comfortable and then exhale slowly through my mouth I get to consciously thank God for every breath that I take.

As I try to quiet my soul and put everything I need to do on hold and just be still, I try to acknowledge God’s presence and realize that he has equipped me to deal with the needs around me.  I try to let go of my expectations, of other people’s expectations of how I am to perform and take hold of the idea that doing my best is the most I can do.

And lastly as I begin to let the todo list fade back into the foreground, I ask God for help, for strength, for wisdom and for clear sight as I start to work towards getting those things done that need to be done.  But now getting things done is put in the context of what God has already called and equipped me to do.  The todo list, the responsibilities, and the outcome are now consciously in my mind, at peace with God.

Essentially finding rest comes down to making time for it, or keeping rest at the top of the todo list perse.  It is consciously deciding that acknowleding God in your life is so much more apart of your identity than what you get done.  That is how I am finding rest lately.  Hopefully this will help you find rest as well and I look forward to hearing how you find rest in this busy life.