Rest as Resistance

The other day, Terri reminded me that I needed to rest, too. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but she was right. It’s good to have a wise wife.

In today’s culture, rest feels rebellious.

Let’s face it: We live in a world that glorifies hustle. The faster you go, the more you produce, the more you are valued. And that’s so not me at the moment. When we stop and rest, we push back against the lie that we are what we produce. Due to the nature of the world we inhabit, rest is a form of resistance.

God built rest into the very fabric of creation. After six days of work, God Himself rested; not because He was tired, but to set a pattern for us. The Sabbath was never meant to be a burden; it was meant to be a gift. Jesus reminds us of this when He says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Yes, rest is a gift.

In my recovery journey, I’ve had to learn that rest isn’t laziness, but life-giving. Slowing down, breathing deeply, stepping away from the noise aren’t wasted moments. They are holy ones.

“Love Lights the Way”
©2025 Rainer Bantau 
All Rights Reserved

When I choose rest, I’m saying:

  • I am more than what I produce.
  • My worth isn’t tied to my pace.
  • God is in control, not me.

Rest is resistance against a culture that would rather see us burnt out than filled up. We live in a world that is happy to drain every drop of energy from us.

Maybe the most radical thing you can do this week isn’t adding something new to your schedule, but subtracting something. Take something OFF the calendar. Perhaps the holiest act isn’t speeding up, but slowing down.

When we rest, we make room for God to restore our soul.

Until my next post

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

You can now find my articles in The Christian Grandfather Magazine.


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7 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful, soulful song, Mary! I’m afraid we’ve made busyness an idol of sorts and in the process demeaned and demoted the beauty of rest. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s a shame we’ve rejected the gift of sabbath in our culture — I agree we’d all be better off with a little rest. A friend shared a song with me this week that I love and that resonates with your post: Rhapsody of Rest by Sara Thompson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4HRXiNEFw4. Hope you enjoy it!

    Mary

    Liked by 1 person

  3. And that’s such a hard concept in our on-demand world. Thanks for reading, Dana. Blessings.

    Like

  4. It’s not easy, Loring. Glad you are exploring what needs to be on your plate and what doesn’t. Blessings.

    Like

  5. Very good! “rest isn’t laziness, but life-giving,” absolutely!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Wise instruction. Struggling myself with what to lay aside.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Alan Kearns's avatar Alan Kearns says:

    Thank you for sharing these wise words with us today Rainer, and thank you for Terri and Susan – they are God’s blessing to us brother! In recent days I have been forced to rest more, and it has been good to just rest in Him and His Word. Our enemy, the devil, wants us all hurried and harassed that we forget our Father. May we spend time with God that He may guide and bless us today brother 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

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