Creating from a Position of Rest

Resting has become a dirty word in the American imagination. Rest to many screams of laziness or as an ideological rebellion against a corrupt capitalist society. But these conceptions of rest come from a worldly definition of rest. One definition of rest demonizes the action and ideology as a lack of action, while the other conception elevates rest to be a survival mechanism, rather than giving it its proper positioning in our lives. Neither of these definitions explores how resting in God’s presence is a necessary aspect of this walk of faith, nor what rest entails when viewed both spiritually and practically.

Before we explore how essential resting is in this faith walk, we must define what rest actually is. Is rest falling asleep in God’s presence? Is resting deciding that lying in bed is better than putting effort into daily life? Is resting resisting the systems that the devil has had control over by deciding to boycott every system since we are being forced to work in these systems? Does resting then look like protesting and taking back the power from the government because of the forced labor in Does that look like criticizing the systems at hand? What is rest?

Sometimes, to understand something more fully, we first must look at its more common use. There is a saying that goes “There is no rest for the wicked,” and what shook me to my core was finding a Bible verse that gave me a deeper clarity about how rest and peace are intricately linked, especially when looking at the Hebrew etymology breakdown of the words in the following verse:

“‘But there is no peace for the wicked,’ says the LORD.”

– Isaiah 48:22 (New Living Translation)

Peace (שָׁלוֹם) is described as completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace in the Strong’s Concordance, which are all different aspects of what Jesus promises to have when we abide in Him. Jesus is also described as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and Jehovah Shalom, which translates to “The Lord is Peace” or “The Lord is Our Peace” (Judges 6:24). Therefore, for one to achieve true soul peace, we must be resting in the presence of the Prince of Peace. This holy communion is what furthers our spiritual transformation and is the driving force behind us co-creating with Our Maker.

In a post titled Rest is Not the Absence of Work, It’s the Presence of the King written by Elizabeth Trotter, she beautifully describes rest as “[abiding in] the reign of God, the rule of God.” When we take up regular rhythms, knowing that the battle is over and the King is on His throne, we can live as “people whose King is on the throne.” Resting has a purpose in this conception of it, as being in God’s presence brings divine peace, mental soundness, an inner spiritual completeness born from Jesus, and faith to know that God has equipped us to have welfare, essentially that He is the one ensuring we reach a basic standard of living. It reminds me of Psalm 23: 1 (AMPC) that says, “The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.” In other translations, it says “I shall not want.” Therefore, all of our needs, as well as our desires (that align with God’s will for our lives), will be provided by His Spirit.

Resting, especially as a creative, is essential to moving in a sound and intentional manner. Rather than one moving in the world based on feeling, reacting to every single thing, and taking it on one’s shoulders, resting in the Lord is an invitation to lay down all your cares and worries at the feet of the Father, to lay it at the altar, and to freely receive these free gifts of divine stillness, better known as peace, mental soundness, spiritual completeness (even when in a transitory period in our lives), and complete confidence that God cares about our welfare.

Resting is also better than meditating on the universe and letting it all go into a void of nothingness (looking at how the universe works, there are literal black holes and wormholes in space, hence this “void” of nothingness being a reality more than an analogy). Letting it go often leads to one emptying themselves of everything that makes one truly themselves. If you empty yourself of your own experiences without filling yourself on spiritual food you can discern (filling one’s self with the “power” of the universe is so broad – there are many competing spirits, so what spirit are you giving complete access to?), you are fed a half-truths that lead one to believing they are far superior to others spiritually, deluded into thinking you’ve let go of much, when in reality, one has achieved a dissociative internal state, where one has lost the true sense of their own soul and spirit-man.

“Do not be conformed to this world (this age),
[fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs],
but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind
[by its new ideals and its new attitude],
so that you may prove [for yourselves]
what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God,
even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].“

– Romans 12:2 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

Since our souls are made up of our mind, will, and emotions, we as individuals need to have a deep connection to our souls to differentiate between what the (Holy) Spirit is purifying and redeeming, and what aspects of discipline our flesh still needs. and any demonic spirit oppressing or trying to stay in our temples (our bodies). There are pieces of our souls God wants to redeem and make whole, but that means we must do the work of surrendering it all to the Lord, so He can show us what mindsets and thoughts to let go of and what new mindsets He wants us to adopt. This also means He shows us which decisions we have made in the past out of our so-called need for comfort, and which decisions to stop making with our FREE will so we can fully come into alignment with His will. Lastly, He shows us how we have let emotions control us, and how to use emotions to better intercede for others by helping us understand spiritual atmospheres, provide compassion to others, and travail for others in deep prayer. Jeremiah, one of the youngest prophets in the Bible, was known as “the weeping prophet” because his ministry was defined by intense emotional sorrow, grief, and tears over the persistent sin of his people and the certainty of God’s coming judgment. He had to share a devastating message of doom to his home country, and his deep love for his fellow people and desperate hope for people to come to repentance spurred him in his intense travail. Prayer in hard seasons can be done through tears at times when words seem impossible to share.

Through this, we start to create not out of a place of lack, striving for more because we don’t have enough, but rather from a place of divine abundance, granted to us through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we acknowledge that all good things in our lives have been GIFTED to us rather than earned, our egos are crushed, and we stop doing things out of a place of performance and trying to keep up an image.

“…we are biologically prewired for love…our physical bodies respond best
when we choose Love (God), which is what renewing the mind is all about.
The neuroplasticity of our brain means WE have the ability to change
our memories by building new ones and destroying unwanted ones….
the goal is to replace every lie with Him, the Truth.
This is “working out our salvation” and aligning our soul (mind, will and emotions)
and physical body with the Spirit.

The degree of our alignment = the amount of power (Him) we can channel through us.
It hinges on our desire to re-present Him in the earth by
co-creating with Him as elohim and being overcomers in all things!
(including physical death), which IS His hope of glory.”

–The Science of Renewing Your Mind – All Things Restored. (2020, June 4). Allthingsrestored.org. https://allthingsrestored.org/the-science-of-renewing-your-mind/?doing_wp_cron=1772300108.0167169570922851562500
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Becoming a born-again believer doesn’t mean that you will automatically gain everything listed in the Bible, because the process of sanctification is intimately tied to the renewal of our minds. Our brains are like computers with different programming involved. The programming has been an amalgamation of four different things, broadly speaking:

1. MEDIA: The phrase, “You are what you eat?” aptly encompasses how influenced and swayed we are to think of the world in a specific way, depending on the media consumed and that we continue to consume daily (films, television, video games, streaming, social media reels, etc.). If we consume without critically thinking about what we are ingesting, it will inadvertently subconsciously shape the way we interpret everyday life. Even if we engage content critically, at times, when it becomes enjoyable to our flesh, we will hunger for more of that type of media and ideology, which can mean that media can either be a stumbling block or a way to express and explore life through a God-centered approach. Most media created is meant to generate traffic and popularity, which means much of it is catered to be
2. UPBRINGING: Our upbringing and the psychology we have learned from whatever authority figure we may have had in our lives — whether we were directly related to them or not — our environments (Did you move a lot?) Were you able to travel and see places outside of your hometown, or is your home the only place you have ever known?
3. TRAUMA:
4. SOCIAL CONDITIONING:

“The DNA becomes unzipped by the signal that says
‘WAKE UP.’ I need a response from you to build this memory;
then mRNA photocopies the DNA code
so it can be replicated and create something.”

– Dr. Caroline Leaf. (2013). Switch On Your Brain. Baker Books.
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