Finding Rest and Stillness Amid Chaos

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey there, my name is Vernon Brown and I want to welcome you back to Conversations at the Well, I'm here with my lovely wife.

Speaker 2 0:07

Desiree.

Speaker 1 0:07

Brown, and today we were supposed to be talking about the second part of Decision Time. Our last episode was all about decision making and how to make the best decisions throughout life. Yeah, but you had something kind of pull your attention in a different direction today. Tell us a little bit about that.

Speaker 2 0:21

Yeah, so today has really been interesting because from early this morning and then I had another separate unrelated conversation this afternoon and it was around rest and stillness.

Speaker 1 0:35

Y'all know I'm going to be quiet this whole episode. That is not my cup of tea, but tell me, like what I think we all have. There's something that pops into our head. We think about rest and stillness, but it may be different for everyone. So let's talk about and kind of level set. What do those words mean to you?

Speaker 2 0:50

yeah, so the word rest. Well, I'll tell you the word stillness, because I actually looked up the definition and I actually know the definition of that word, I'm still trying to discover what rest is to be quite honest.

Speaker 2 1:02

I know you're being funny, but I don't think I rest well, okay. So there's that, okay, but stillness is really about the being stop moving, stop fumbling and fidgeting and talking, just stop, just to stop. That is what stillness is. It is being quiet, it is being it's not moving and it is being it's kind of like a a, a reflective, or a posture of like waiting.

Speaker 1 1:36

Yeah, and I think it's so interesting because nothing you said would be surprising to any of our listeners. When you think about stillness okay duh, it's about being still I should be still. We're all probably still throughout the time, or throughout the day. However, if we took five seconds right now to just be still, I can't even do it, it's difficult. I can't do it. It's hard. You're fidgeting. You're like wait a minute. Did it cut off? Did the video or did the podcast stop playing? Because it's not often that we're purposefully still yeah.

Speaker 1 2:09

And I think a lot of your direction, a lot of your peace, a lot of your thought really happens, and happens at the highest level when we find ourselves in that still place yeah, yeah, and and and.

Speaker 2 2:24

Rest is what can happen when you are still right. So rest is like being uh, I feel like it's like a surrender, it's kind of like a I'm the purposeful or intentional stop of whatever you're doing for rejuvenation.

Speaker 1 2:48

But, and you can well, here's a question Can you rest without being still, or can you only truly rest while being still?

Speaker 2 2:55

Oh, that's a good question. I think that we need to explore as we have this conversation, because I think for me, I think of rest is like just stopping being still. I think you may think of rest a little bit differently and perhaps that stillness and maybe it's just that you're unpracticed with it but that stillness would actually result in something that is very uncomfortable for you and you would be like I can't not move.

Speaker 1 3:24

Right.

Speaker 2 3:25

Yeah, but, um, we're, I think that's something that we can explore, and what I just was thinking about was, um, well, this really came from a, a prayer call that I was on this morning, and it was referencing the scripture from Psalms 46, verse 10. It may be wrong, but you may read your Bible.

Speaker 1 3:49

Let's check it and make sure she's right.

Speaker 2 3:51

Psalms 46, verse 10. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

Speaker 1 4:03

I'm almost positive that it's Psalms 46. Y'all think she got that right.

Speaker 2 4:07

Because I literally was reading it this morning.

Speaker 1 4:09

She was in a wrong book of the Bible. It was in Proverbs. No, I'm kidding.

Speaker 2 4:11

Oh, I'm like wait a minute. No, for real. Like no, it's Psalms.

Speaker 1 4:14

No. Psalms 46, NIV it says he says be still and know that I among the nations.

Speaker 2 4:26

I will be exalted in the earth, verse 11,. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Yeah, and interestingly, like I like to read ahead and I like to read below the verse that I'm focused on, because it's all about context. It's, yeah, I want to pull something and it's like, oh, yeah, it means do this, and it's completely out of context.

Speaker 2 4:41

But interestingly enough, in that particular verse it's talking about all this crazy calamity and chaos that's going on and how God is our present help, god is our refuge, god is just saving us. In the middle of these things it talks about, I mean there's images of war, there's images of fire, there's kind of crescendos, all this stuff going on. And then it's like God says be still and know that I am God. And it's like, oh my gosh, like when you read it that way, it brings a whole new context to it, brings a whole new meaning to it, because the verse is describing all of this stuff that's going on, but it's like the verse where he actually is speaking to his people and saying be still and know that I am God.

Speaker 1 5:30

So you're, you're up here.

Speaker 2 5:31

Up here, okay.

Speaker 1 5:32

Bring it, bring it down, bring it down. For the regular people like me. What does that mean in English?

Speaker 2 5:36

Okay, so it's kind of it's. It's like it's just in our lives, right there. Right there may be situations or seasons or times where we are just going through like stuff isn't going right at work, it might not be going right at home, you might just have some crazy fallouts with your friends, it might be just like a number of different things happening all at the same time. I think that's kind of how it looks in 2024. Right, because we're there are wars going on in the world and I'm just grateful that we don't we we haven't experienced it in our country recently on our soil, and we pray for those who are having to go through that.

Speaker 2 6:13

But it's in in our times and our modern day and kind of our context of 2024 in this country. It just is like the, the busyness of life, the crazy situations that just seem to come out of nowhere, that throw you off track or throw you off balance, rather, and you're trying to fix and you're grabbing, you're just like gripping for something to hold your stability, and then God just kind of pierces through and is like be still. It's like at that point you're desperately trying to put some things together, desperately trying to keep things from falling apart. Meanwhile it's crumbling in your hands and God's like just chill out.

Speaker 1 6:55

I got a question Because y'all know I'm trying to figure out this whole rest and stillness thing I'm still, I'm not there yet Me either. So when you're talking to the person who has a laundry list of stuff that needs to get done and it seems like time is slipping through their fingers and there's so much work to be done and every moment when they stop it seems like time is slipping through their fingertips, how do you reconcile that with be still?

Speaker 2 7:22

It's like I got got responsibilities.

Speaker 1 7:24

I have things to do. What in the world am I supposed to do and how do I manage what I'm getting behind on while I'm being still yeah?

The Importance of Rest and Stillness

Speaker 2 7:33

it's? That's a great question, and I think that it's. It's a practice. It's not, and I don't think it's like be still forever. It's just like take a moment, take a moment of quietness, a moment of of stillness to overuse the word again to just be reflective and to remember who God is. And the reason why is because all the things that are going on in our life and all the things we're trying to hold together and all the tasks that we have on our to do list, I think in that we somehow put ourselves in the place of oh, I'm the one that's holding all this stuff together, I'm the tape, I'm the glue, I'm the I'm, I'm the one that's tying everything together, and if I stop, everything's going to fall apart. That's definitely how it feels.

Speaker 1 8:25

I know, I've felt that way, I think you said a lot right there, because I don't think. It's often which, for those of you who are believers, like, hey, I'm making an idol out of something or I'm putting myself at or higher than God, but you may never say it, you may never like build a monument, but the moment you believe or take life so much into your hands where you think, if I stop, everything's going to stop, If I don't do nothing's going to move.

Speaker 1 8:54

You're literally saying that you are your own provider, you are your own healer, you are your own, all of these things, rather than truly putting your trust in him, which I think for me, specifically trying to run the business is trying to keep things together. It's always like I have to do this and I have to do that and business slows down. Okay, let me go run advertising.

Speaker 1 9:15

Let me go do this and try to brute force it. And it's not to say that those things aren't effective. They're certainly necessary and they're effective. But I think we have to keep that balance between what we know to work in our flesh and in the world versus what we know that God, or what we desire for God to do for us.

Speaker 2 9:31

Yeah, and it's interesting because this concept of rest and stillness, it comes up a few times in the Bible but it's the first time we see it happen. I know there are people of different beliefs, but if we're looking at the biblical text as far as creation is concerned, that's the first time we see it. And God rested God rested, that's a phenomenon in itself. I don't think he rested because he was tired.

Speaker 1 10:03

Might have took a lot out of him to make us men so perfect.

Speaker 2 10:07

Jesus, okay, he was tired. Might have took a lot out of him to make us men so perfect. Jesus, okay, okay, maybe if you want to go to that roll your eyes that hard yeah, but he did all of this work yeah in six days and the seventh day he rested not, I don't think, because he was tired.

Speaker 2 10:25

This is my understanding, my kind of, under my interpretation. So, biblical scholars out there, you know you can put your answers in the comments, but it's more of a demonstration for us, more of a I worked and now I rest. This is the pattern that I also want you to follow work, rest, work, rest. In our culture we're of a work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work and rest is at least it's becoming more accepted, but traditionally it has not been. It's like if you take a vacation, you know people want to know why you took a vacation and were you sick.

Speaker 1 11:05

So you don't just take days off to rest because you're sick I know, for me, when I think about rest, I think of rest as a privilege, like yeah, not the way you think of it I was like I think you would think of it as, as a privilege I get to rest okay, but I think of it more of a privilege, as at some points in phases of life you don't have the privilege to rest because you've got to get stuff done, and I think that's where you find yourself, swelling up and thinking and feeling what you're doing, what you're providing, what you're creating, versus what God is doing through you, around you, in your midst, and so that's a place where I need to grow, because certainly there's been phases of my life where it's like resting would be great, vacation would be nice, but I'm not there yet.

Speaker 1 11:51

I can't. I gotta keep going, I gotta keep moving, I gotta keep pushing, and there's just no room in the plan for rest at this point in time you know that's interesting because, I wonder you know, it also talks like literally in the commandments.

Speaker 2 12:02

It's like keep the. Sabbath day holy, that's the day of rest. And we blow over that like right we can. We can like not murder, we can like not lie, we can like not covet other people's husbands and wives and all that good stuff. We can do that. But when it comes to that rest thing, we're like, oh, that's true, like just keep that moving like it's no big deal, we can just keep going.

Speaker 2 12:24

But the thing is, I wonder if in fact is it actually a privilege or is it actually a mandate, and if we actually practice it, what the outcomes will be when we actually take that rest.

Speaker 1 12:43

Which brings me to the biggest question of today how is chick-fil-a doing this?

Speaker 2 12:49

okay wearing people out, and they do not they do not open on sunday and it is foundationally upon that, so you know it might be worth it just to try it out, just to see if you can really replicate what Chick-fil-A is doing.

Importance of Rest and Reflection

Speaker 1 13:10

I would, just I want. So this is what I want. I want one of their operators to go rogue and just open on a. Sunday and see what happens. So we have some data as if to see if the whole thing closes down catches on fire.

Speaker 2 13:22

I was thinking like maybe just like a lightning strike or something I don't know. That'd be crazy.

Speaker 1 13:28

No, that'd be crazy. It'd be cool, though, like oh, he was serious.

Speaker 2 13:31

He was serious about that. He said, no, y'all did something. Could you imagine That'd be crazy?

Speaker 1 13:35

One Chick-fil-A owner in the airport or something, decided nah, we gonna open up on Sunday and get this money and catch on fire by lightning strike the next day. That's, that's wild. I bet y'all find myself resting.

Speaker 2 13:48

I'm sorry, I just I just had that thing pop into my mind but I mean, I don't know, I don't know if that would actually happen, because there's so many other businesses that operate on sunday and they don't. They, they stand you know, but they don't have the line wrapped around the building. They don't have that good service. You know that, that good, good, good. Everybody knows about that good service. So anyway, but I also wanted to kind of talk about this and I want to pose this question to you.

Speaker 1 14:17

I have an idea, but I want to see what your answer is. I need a guest on here to get me out of the hot seat. It's not even a hard question.

Speaker 2 14:24

But why? Why do you even think that God asked us to rest? Hmm?

Speaker 1 14:36

Do you have the answer to this?

Speaker 2 14:38

I've given it some thought, yeah.

Speaker 1 14:39

Well, I wonder, I wonder if he knew who we were, knew what he created, knew our limitations and knew the outcome of where, the trajectory or the process in which we would go about life, and he knew that to be something that would be required for us to function the way he wanted us to function.

Speaker 2 15:01

That's it. That could be right, I don't know. That's one of those questions I'm going to ask when I get there.

Speaker 1 15:08

God. Before you, let me in. I got a list of questions. No, no, no, Let me in, and now we can please, but I think I think, when you're talking about the ultimate plan and strategy and how things were set up originally to be, I think it was very purposeful.

Speaker 1 15:25

It was very meaningful and although I've probably never tried it wholeheartedly, I wonder at what level could we truly function if we said let's just do it right for a month, like every I dotted, every T crossed, and see how God moves in our lives. I wonder what that would look like. Maybe it would look the same, maybe it would look widely different. But to give it a true and a fair shake, to say we're going to do things your way wholeheartedly and see what happens on the other side, I think that would be an interesting experience too, First we'll do Chick-fil-A, and then we'll do?

Speaker 2 16:01

Can we do it? Well, okay, so I think here's a. I do want to answer that question, but I also want to tell you what I think the reason is what you got. It may be that you said it, and it may be in addition to or maybe instead of, I don't know. I really think that it was a uh kind of a fail. Safe at least try, you know, trying to put things in place so that because when we rest and things continue to go, it reminds us that we not out here running things.

Speaker 1 16:39

I like that. I like that.

Speaker 2 16:41

It reminds us that it's actually God who is the one, who's like making everything go and keeping everything afloat.

Speaker 1 16:48

But that takes a few things, that in order for that to happen. Like number one and I think I'm a real, a really big proponent in that we don't look for God in everyday life I don't want to say anymore, but period, like we go through life with the expectation of, or we go through life with the goal of, checking off the boxes. I'm supposed to pray about this.

Speaker 1 17:08

I'm supposed to believe that God's going to move but, we don't pray and then search out his answer and expect that he's going to answer in a way that we can visibly see, and I think part of the reason why we may never see that is because we wouldn't expect or we wouldn't look for God to do anything like that. Maybe we'll say, hey, I was supposed to go plow the field today and I got lucky. It didn't rain. Well, maybe you didn't get lucky. Maybe it was supposed to rain, Maybe it was rain day on the ultimate, like what's that thing called the Farmer's Book? Oh, the Almanac. Maybe it was like a raining day and it's supposed to rain and it changed because of that, because of your obedience. But I think for for that to happen, to give it a real test, you would have to expect something different. It wouldn't be something you're just trying out. It has to be something that you at some level believe in and you're looking for the fruit of that belief.

Speaker 2 18:01

Oh yeah, well, I mean, I believe it and I've we've had these conversations before Like what would you like? Can we do this? I'm like can we do this? And you're like we got too many things going on, we can't just like stop.

Speaker 1 18:15

We talked before about gas and break and me being a gas and she being a break. On this one, I'm definitely the break.

Speaker 2 18:20

Yeah, well, actually I mean or you can think of it differently Like I'm like, I want to rest.

Speaker 1 18:25

Oh, that's true, You're like no go. Get it done. It would be interesting to try, though, and, like I think, first it would be interesting to say, or to see, what it would even look like. Like what does it even look like to rest? Like it doesn't mean that you don't get out of bed, I don't think, but what does it tangibly look like to have a day of rest?

Speaker 2 18:46

that is a great question. I was thinking of myself.

Speaker 1 18:48

I was gonna ask you but since you asked first, got to it first um, I think it's more intentional time with.

Speaker 2 18:59

I think there's time with god, like I do think there's time for prayer, there's time for reflection, maybe some additional bible study, going like deeper, um, listening, and all that. But I think it's also like hanging out with your family, like just cutting off the, the demands of the outside world, and focusing in on the, the, the home they created. And I mean, I know different people have different homes. Some people have children, some people have spouses or partners or whatever. So it might look different for different people, but I think, um, maybe it's, it's just focusing in on, on loved ones, I think people. Actually I would love to hear from our uh listeners who might be of the Jewish faith, because they actually practice.

Speaker 1 19:49

I think it's oh gosh, I don't want to say the wrong word, let me not say the wrong word, but there is a practice where they essentially keep Sabbath and I think that's what they spend a lot of time doing.

Speaker 2 20:01

They do all their housework and, like the cooking, the cleaning, the folding, all of the stuff that you do to keep a home, you do that during the six days. Um, you do all your work during the six days and on that seventh day it's really about like communing with family and with your um, maybe your your worship community and you know, like that kind of thing.

Speaker 1 20:24

Which I think that's a principle in and of itself. Sabbath isn't about dropping responsibilities where they are, oh yeah, but Sabbath is about so prioritizing what you believe God wants you to do, that you plan for it.

Speaker 2 20:38

Yeah.

Speaker 1 20:38

And so you know, if you believe God wants you to do something or gain something or get something, are you planning for it? Are you just hoping that God drops it in your lap from heaven? And I think that that example you were talking about of what does a Sabbath actually look like? Well, it looks like hey, I'm prioritizing this day, so I can't do this on that day any longer. I'm going to change it. I'm going to do all of my responsibilities early or later as a result of it, and then guarding and protecting that time. But it all starts with you valuing that high enough to where you can build your life around it. I think a lot of us desire things and say we want a relationship or say we want different things. But if you look at what we actionably value not just our words, but what we do and what we protect and what we actually fight for Sometimes that's very different than the words that come out of our mouth as to what we say is important.

Speaker 2 21:34

And I think it's interesting too, because there's this idea of time. Right, there's this concept of time which, essentially, is man-made. It's something that helps us to figure out chronologically what's happening, in what order. It makes things make sense to us, but if we're thinking of it from a spiritual nature, god operates outside of that, and so this is a little out there, I admit this, but I think I always wonder by dedicating this time and doing what is asked of us, isn't it possible that he can make more time for us in the other six days to get all the stuff done?

Speaker 1 22:17

And I mean, if you go to the word, it's not out of the realm of possibility where the sun stood still, or they fought and the sun never set, and things like that.

Speaker 2 22:26

So I mean, I find it in my day like if, if I'm waking up late, I'm like, oh gosh, I gotta get the kids ready, I gotta get out the door, I gotta get dressed. Well, probably in a different order, right, kids dress out the door. Um, y'all get it.

Speaker 1 22:38

But y'all should hear the joke I have in my mind.

Speaker 2 22:41

It's so inappropriate if you when I'm like in that mode yeah like man, I miss my alarm and like everything's chaotic and crazy in the morning. I have found that even if I spend time, it doesn't even have to be a lot of time five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, probably no more than that, cause I gotta, you know, we gotta go. But if I spend that much time, like okay, let me connect, let me go and do my prayer, journ journaling, which is one way that I spend my time, um, connecting with God. Um, like, let me just do that. If I do that, everything else seems to be calmer. Like, everything else seems to work out. Like traffic will be no traffic. This has literally happened on days where there's typically like every obstacle in my way to get things done there's somehow. On those days where I've intentionally set that time aside, things move out the way. There's no traffic. The kids actually got themselves dressed in an appropriate timeframe.

Speaker 2 23:39

Like yeah, you know, like I didn't have to yell or push or do any of the things that happen. You know, usually in those chaotic situations and and I'm always like real, not puzzled, but kind of just like did you really do that? Like did you really? I mean, and not, the world does not revolve around me, but sometimes it feels like was this a reaction to me doing the thing that you asked me to do? Or like did anybody else, did everybody else have traffic, or was it just me that?

Speaker 1 24:10

didn't have it.

Speaker 2 24:11

Like I don't know it. Just it's kind of a weird thing and I'm actually of the belief that the same thing would happen with the sabbath that all of a sudden, like it might help all of my time management issues. Y'all, time management is an issue for me.

Speaker 2 24:28

I'm sure many of you I think she's past issue it is my problem, it's not an issue, it's a problem. But I I do wonder if setting like, if that's the fulcrum of my week, if I set everything else up around that, will I find myself like better using the time that I have so challenge, and I hope and encourage you guys to come along with us for this challenge, if we were to do this for a week. You see he don't want to commit to this.

Speaker 1 25:00

Oh, even better. Yet, if you were to do this for a week, first and foremost, what would a Sabbath look like? Because I think you would have to define it. Is it one day, is it one hour every day? Is it like? What would a Sabbath be?

Speaker 2 25:14

Yeah.

Speaker 1 25:15

And then what preparation would need to happen before and after to set you up for success? Yeah, and then what preparation would need to happen before and after to set you up for success.

Speaker 2 25:20

Yeah, you want me to tell you what it would be. Yeah, what would you?

Speaker 1 25:24

what you do, because then we have something to talk about next week.

Planning a Restful Sabbath Day

Speaker 2 25:29

Yeah, ok, I think it would be. Oh, actually, I think I don't think it would be waking up early. I think it would be actually like getting some sleep. I don't think it's like a wake up early. Go read my Bible.

Speaker 1 25:43

So your Sabbath is going to be every day.

Speaker 2 25:45

No, this would be a one day.

Speaker 1 25:47

Oh, ok, one day. Ok, one day set aside.

Speaker 2 25:50

Probably not during the regular work week because clearly I work, so it'll probably be a Saturday or Sunday. Probably not a Sunday because we go to church Sunday. Okay. So, it'll probably be Saturday.

Speaker 1 26:00

Okay.

Speaker 2 26:01

Maybe Sunday, depending on how we work this right. I want to check my calendar. It is bad. You want to check your calendar, okay so it's Saturday. Saturday. Let's say it's a Saturday and I think it would be actually resting, so like sleeping until my body's like okay, it's time to wake up.

Speaker 1 26:17

It should probably be like 5.30, 4 am.

Speaker 2 26:21

Yeah, I'm an early wiser and I do think that it would be spending that first part of the day so like even if anyone else is awake before me, like okay, but I need this time. This time is for God. I need to go and spend some time and I'd likely spend it doing some prayer, journaling, maybe I don't know. I'm used to about 15 to 30 minutes most days and so maybe a bit longer. Maybe it's an hour, I don't know. I got a lot to talk about that day, so maybe it's a little bit longer. And I guess at this point our children are of the age they're not, they're three and six, so they're not like old, but they're not.

Speaker 1 26:59

They're three and six, so they're not like old, but they're at least of the age where they can entertain themselves for a few yeah, for a few, for a few minutes, without us having to be like oh, what is he doing? What you? Know so I think it would be quiet like then.

Speaker 2 27:12

They get too quiet and I'm like all right, gotta go check on them anyway. Um, you know, check on the kids. But so it would probably be that it would just be more leisurely. Maybe we'll go for a walk or, you know, as a family, like just get out and do some things, not things like a lot of busyness things, but just like kind of leisurely things.

Speaker 1 27:36

And just kind of roll into the day.

Speaker 2 27:37

Yeah, maybe we could cook together as a family.

Speaker 1 27:42

Is this a Sabbath or are you just trying to get in all your favorite things?

Speaker 2 27:46

Maybe, maybe both. I mean because we literally like during the work week or the week. The traditional week is just like.

Speaker 1 27:53

Go, go, go, go, go yeah.

Speaker 2 27:54

So we don't like things that would be around us spending time as a family.

Speaker 1 27:59

So here's a question, and this is where I wanted to get to. So you've listed three to four things already.

Speaker 2 28:04

Yeah.

Speaker 1 28:05

How different are those three to four things in your regular agenda?

Speaker 2 28:11

I mean.

Speaker 1 28:11

I'm not sure you've said anything different.

Speaker 2 28:14

Well, I think the thing is, in doing those things, typically I'm feeling guilty because I'm like, oh, there's other things I'm putting off. Like oh, I got to do this, my to-do list is still growing. And like I didn't get to this or I didn't do that, or like I'm still, there's still like the guilt of like of it, of knowing that.

Speaker 2 28:41

I should be doing, or feeling like I should be doing that versus doing the things that I want to do. That feeling wouldn't go away, though I was gonna finish, so the, the, I think, by deciding like definitive, saying like this day is just reserved for this. It's different, it feels different for me. It may not feel different for you, perhaps you're like well, it's still growing, but it's, I think, a mental check. It's like those things are on hold on purpose, not because I'm ignoring them, not because I'm procrastinating, but these are purposefully being withheld from because I'm focused on this thing for today so then Sunday comes along yeah you're no longer like purposefully holding off yeah where does that place your mindset, sunday and going forward?

Speaker 2 29:20

Yeah, I don't know, I never did it before, but I would imagine I feel rested and like ready to take on the responsibilities of whatever the rest of life holds, because I will have had that time for rest intentional rest not. I took it cause I needed it and my body was so tired, I just slept the whole day, kind of rest.

Speaker 2 29:41

but like I intentionally took time to be still and not do all the different things that I typically do. Now I'm ready to come back and do what is just the re re I forget the word but basically get back into reinstate maybe reinstate the regular responsibilities of the the week so are you?

Speaker 1 30:05

is this you deciding that?

Speaker 2 30:08

I try it for a week. Well, I think I know it's an individual decision, but it doesn't feel like it's an individual decision because if I say I'm gonna rest, I'm taking a sabbath, but you're like no, I'm not doing that, then I feel like there creates this tension where you're like she over there just resting, she just sleep.

Speaker 1 30:33

They're not even that.

Speaker 2 30:34

She just that does not sound like I okay, whether it's said or not, there is this thought process, so I don't know if it's something that I can just decide on my own.

Speaker 1 30:46

Is it something that you desire?

Speaker 2 30:48

to decide.

Speaker 1 30:50

And I guess my. So I let me say two things. The first thing is if it's something that you desire, I would certainly want to do it with you. Yeah, but I don't want to do it with you, just so you don't feel guilty about the task that you haven't done. Does that make sense? Yeah, and I get that. There's a lot of other stuff wrapped around it, but still, when I listen to your, why the only difference is you don't feel guilty. Like there's no. Okay, I got to do pre-work. I got to do pre-work, I got to make sure that these things get it's like. Well, now I won't feel guilty about all the things that I've been procrastinating about.

Speaker 1 31:23

So so, from my perspective, if we're deciding to try it for a reason bigger than you know how. That was just defined and cool, but what I don't want to do is just create a space for us to feel good in our failure.

Speaker 2 31:40

So that makes sense and I guess I did not address that because in my mind I was thinking it does require preparation, because Sunday is still coming and Sunday requires things to happen.

Speaker 1 31:54

Sunday requires oh man, wow, yeah, I didn't even think about that Sunday requires you know Sunday school lesson being ready.

Speaker 2 32:02

It requires for you sermon being ready and Sunday school I was thinking children's church for me Like. It requires the songs being uploaded. It requires the slides and all of those things that happen on Sunday. It requires you know the grocery shopping to be done on a different day, so perhaps there's like planning ahead, for what are we going to have for the week.

Speaker 1 32:26

And really like, while you're saying all of this, it's not like I can feel the weight of. I could feel the weight of wow, this is really disruptive, overpowering the promise or the goal of think about how amazing this could be.

Speaker 2 32:43

Yeah.

Speaker 1 32:43

Like I'm like man, I got to do this, this, this, this and this all have to happen Like super disruptive.

Speaker 2 32:50

Yeah, it is, but in a way to me it's like freeing in a way, because I'm like I already know I need to get all this stuff done, and so it makes me look at the rest of the days a lot differently. Like it makes me like, OK, I can't just wait for Saturday to get this stuff done, I need to be working on this. Monday through Saturday. No Monday or Sunday through Friday. Sunday through Friday. I need to be working on these things. I need to be. I said cooking together on the Saturday, but I mean even we eliminate that like the meal haven't be be prepared, but we're just like eating and commuting and just having a good time. Nobody's well.

Speaker 1 33:26

I think, I think for me it would be beneficial for us to come up with like a rule list yeah and not to be cynical and like really I don't know what the word is really rigid about it, but just to kind of guide your my thoughts around planning around it, because at first I was like, okay, yeah, I'm like okay, I get stuff done a little bit early, but it's like wait a minute, this is a lot bigger than that yeah so for me, I'm I'm happy to try it and I would like to try it with you, um, if you're open to it, and then we can kind of talk about what that experience has been like.

Speaker 1 33:59

and if any of y'all are bold enough to try it, or you've tried it already, we would love to read about what your experience was in the comments and maybe we can kind of bring some of those comments up on the screen and kind of talk a little bit more in depth about them.

Speaker 2 34:09

Yeah, I mean maybe, and maybe we don't commit to it this week, because I do think it requires some planning and, quite frankly, we haven't done all the things we need to do to start tomorrow well, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 34:23

Okay, I think you were saying Sabbath on a Saturday yeah so I was thinking not this Saturday but next Saturday, oh I see, which means that we usually record on Fridays and post sometime during the week. So chances are it's not gonna be the next video. So if it's not the next video, y'all don't tell us about ourselves and call us raggedy.

Speaker 1 34:41

It's probably going to be two videos from now where, hopefully, we would have done it successfully, or even if we didn't, yeah, we can kind of talk about yeah, this is where it didn't really go right, but I think I think going forward with the right heart about it and trying to spend the time to set us up to for success around it yeah, I think that would go a really long way yeah, and I don't know in my mind I'm just like well, how freeing is that to literally have planned a whole day of like not?

Speaker 1 35:10

I think this is so weird, not because you are excited about it, and I am like, oh my gosh, how am I gonna pull this off?

Embracing Stillness and Rest for Life

Speaker 2 35:17

yeah, but I mean, I, I waste a lot of time. I think we all maybe not all, some of us are very good time managers, but I think most of us, if we really are honest with ourselves, we waste a lot of time. But if we, instead of wasting time, are like, oh nope, I got to get to the sabbath, so I need get this stuff done, like it kind of adds a level of pressure, it kind of adds like a deadline, I operate better under those conditions. To be to be honest with you, just because if it's, if there's no deadline, I'm kind of like to get done. You know, but with a, with a, something like that, it's like all right, and maybe it's not a Saturday.

Speaker 2 36:08

Maybe it's actually a Sunday, although Sunday does have some work involved, just by nature, of kind of where we are right now with just our role at the church and all. But if those things are included, like spending time with the church family, if that's included as part of the Sabbath work, yeah, we just need to make the rules for it, yes, yeah.

Speaker 1 36:18

Sabbath work yeah, we just need to make the rules for it, yeah, yeah. And then I think I think the next step is figuring out how we go from living a life looking forward to a day to living and creating a life that you enjoy to live each and every day.

Speaker 1 36:29

Yeah, cause that that's where I don't want to get to the point where I look forward to a weekend or I look forward to a day as a Sabbath, like I just get rid of all this grunt work, that I can go enjoy one. What is that? One seventh out of the week, it's like. What kind of life is that? Yeah, but you know, I think, in baby steps, work towards a Sabbath and then work towards building a life that feels like a Sabbath almost or has room for a Sabbath daily.

Speaker 1 36:55

That's good. That would be kind of cool.

Speaker 2 36:57

That'd be amazing.

Speaker 1 36:59

Yeah, and it doesn't mean that you're not working. It just means that what if you found the level of content and enjoyment with where god has placed you, or where you're going to be placed, that life feels? Not that it's not going to have difficulties, but life feels like something that you can enjoy and something you want to be a part of.

Speaker 2 37:15

Yeah, well, you know, I'm thinking like there's definitely, I think that there's some spiritual um consequences or or implications that come from it. But I also wonder about just like the physical, just like not being also like just exhausted all the time um or just in the intentional time with with god the intentional time with family. Just what?

Speaker 1 37:46

would that look like what?

Speaker 2 37:47

does it look like for our relationship? What does it look like for our relationship with our children? What does it look like for our relationship with god? Like I think there's so many like possibilities. I keep saying, like I don't want to say that anymore. There's so many possibilities. You need to get a buzzer every time. I know there's so many possibilities for positive outcomes.

Speaker 1 38:09

I think.

Speaker 2 38:11

Certainly it's disruptive for sure. So it requires an amazing amount of planning, and it requires an amazing amount of planning and it requires an amazing amount of intention. But I just wonder what's on the other side of it.

Speaker 1 38:25

I'm excited about it you're so excited about it this is my freaked out face for years, though, like we've.

Speaker 2 38:31

I've brought this to you a few times over the years yeah, and so now we're on camera and like I'm like, so do you want to? Just? Don't use them as I mean thank you all for allowing me to use you in this, because now he sounds like he's a little bit more open, because he don't want to be on camera saying, no, we're not doing this we're gonna try it and if the next podcast I'm not here, you know I'm running from the.

Speaker 1 38:58

I'm running from the smoke. What happened? You're running from, I'm running from the smoke, you don't have to run from me.

Speaker 2 39:03

I'm just saying God said it. So if you want to keep running, Jonah, you go ahead and do that. I know that was way out of context.

Speaker 1 39:10

That was so out of context.

Speaker 2 39:11

That's how you don't use the Bible, okay, guys.

Speaker 1 39:20

So we're planning on doing this sometime within the next two weeks. Yeah, and the reason for that is that we have some time for preparation.

Speaker 2 39:24

Yeah.

Speaker 1 39:24

To set aside time to do this purposefully, to write down our rules, yeah, and I think also to have some way to explain it to our children yeah. What's happening, what we're doing, yeah, and then kind of explain the outcome and hopefully bring that back to you guys. But we really want to hear what you think. If you've ever taken the time or the opportunity to instill a true Sabbath that you stuck to, what was your experience like? How did you enjoy it? Did it work for you? Was there anything positive, or did you just drown under all of your responsibilities?

Speaker 2 39:54

Yeah, I really want to hear about that, and this is an interesting season for us. We've taken on more responsibility on top of the a lot of responsibility we already had, and so I think this will be a very interesting experience.

Speaker 1 40:07

Yeah. Um it don't make no sense to it doesn't make.

Speaker 2 40:11

But you know, the things that God asked us to do don't always make sense but have like um incredible outcomes you are so excited I'm so excited about this.

Speaker 2 40:19

My life is weird y'all I'm so excited because I y'all I know there are other people out here who are excited because the concept of rest is just like because, even on a saturday, for most people it's like oh, we got to go take the kids to this lesson or this practice or this game, or we got to go and run do grocery shopping, or we got to do this or we gotta do that. So, truly, truly in our culture and in our society, when are we actually being still?

Speaker 2 40:46

yeah, we don't even get enough sleep yeah the average person is not getting the eight hours of sleep that we are supposed to get, so when are we being still? I'm scared y'all and so for me, I'm like oh, let's get it, let's go. Let's reorganize this whole life so we can do this.

Speaker 1 41:03

We're going to record the next podcast. We're not going to have no lights in here because I'm resting when I'm supposed to be paying the bill.

Speaker 2 41:07

We're going to figure it out though.

Speaker 1 41:11

We are going to figure this thing on out Before we get out of here. I so stillness and rest and what that can mean for our listeners.

Speaker 2 41:18

Man, you put me on the spot like that.

Speaker 1 41:20

Ok, so what? 60 seconds, oh man.

Speaker 2 41:23

Stillness and rest. So stillness is the intentional stopping of your regularly scheduled program to be reflective and and to get rest and to get rest. Rest is just the state of being surrendered and just like, intentionally not worried or bothered or concerned, just resting, resting Peace.

Speaker 1 41:54

I'm trying to think of other words. I don't use those kind of words. You're on your own here, but I hope y'all get it.

Speaker 2 42:00

That stillness allows you to rest. Being still allows you to rest. Can you rest while not being still? That was the question you asked, perhaps, but I think in the, I think the truest definition of it that peaceful stillness, peaceful stillness, rest, that's rest. So that's what we're going to go with, at least for the definition for this podcast. If you all have other definitions, would love to hear that too. Um, I think we need to try this thing out. I'm very excited. Can you tell?

Speaker 1 42:33

very scared, can you tell? But we're going to work this thing on out together. I will follow your lead this and we're gonna but we're gonna figure this out together, write up some rules in about one or two weeks, or one or two episodes, rather, we'll be able to report back and I'll tell you if my leg fell off, tell you if she ended up learning how to.

Speaker 2 42:53

I really hope that, so I hope that he loves it so much that it just becomes a thing for us. So, anyway, thank you all for joining us for Conversations at the Well podcast. We are just so honored that you continue to show up with us, and we hope that you will send us your experience. Also, if you want us to talk about something in particular, put it in the comments. We would love to hear from you. Thanks, we'll see you next time. See you then.