My recent social media feed has been full of reminders to take things slow, especially after the busy holiday season. One after the other, I was advised to rest in the comfort of my own home and delay certain tasks that might make me feel rushed or anxious. Evidence supporting their ideas was usually rooted in nature, such as unblooming flowers or hibernating animals.
I understand their point, but I don’t fully support the idea of a “slow and steady” winter. As a Tennessee homesteader in the frigid foothills of the Smoky Mountains, my family and I are busy working the land. And it can be proven that many animals do not hibernate and are actually very active during the day and night. Their cozy comfort is created not by resting, but by showing up for the daily survival of the day.
I fear that if we ignore the hard work of the natural world, we won’t realize that winter isn’t just a season for locking ourselves in our doors, curling up under blankets, and binge-watching TV.
Meanwhile, as I build my nest and prepare for the arrival of my second son into the world in early April, I find a new sense of joy and satisfaction in cleaning, gathering, preparing, digging, and harvesting living things, regardless of the season. So perhaps spring cleaning is more than just cleaning out the fridge or dusting the decorations on the shelves. Perhaps spring cleaning is a spiritual practice that awakens our desire to cultivate goodness, abundance, and warmth that remains dormant when we think of winter as a three-month hiatus in our lives.
Perhaps by resting instead of resting, winter can become a measured and achievable moment of purpose and growth rather than isolation and withdrawal.
Let’s see why.
Understanding Biblical Rest
The modern definition of rest is very different from the model left in the Bible. Culture encourages us to “step out,” “unvegetate,” or “hold space” from all of life’s demands. On the other hand, Christ tells us to show up when we are uncomfortable, guard our hearts and minds, gather with other believers, and rejuvenate our bodies and souls. When culture cries out, “Run,” God says, “Run.” When the world says, “Stop and forget everything,” God says, “Stop and remember why you’re doing it.”
The first time we see the Sabbath is when God established the Sabbath after creating the world. Genesis 2:2-3 (ESV) says, “And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and on the seventh day he rested from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”
God’s decision to actively rest was always intentional and consistently executed with more in mind. And this “something more” was not a dire obligation to something that would consume us or threaten the well-being of the entire family. Rather, this “something more” was holiness. Rest became sacred because it was invented and practiced by Holiness Himself. Therefore, rest is never about being lazy, but about becoming more like God.
Recognize the true purpose of rest
As we see in Isaiah, rest has a valid purpose. “Rain and snow come down from heaven and remain on the earth, watering it; they cause grain to grow, producing seed for the husbandman and bread for the hungry” (Isaiah 55:10, New Testament). Social media would have us believe that nature is asleep until the earth warms up again, but in reality, nature does hard work to maintain spring, summer, and fall. Quite literally, nature is the reason we survive all year round. (I hate to say it, but friends, we’re not preparing for the rest of this year by abandoning the world, scrolling endlessly, and devouring Gilmore Girls all winter long — and certainly not becoming godlike.)
Again, I’m not saying you should never take a break or indulge in hobbies that take you away from your usual routine. I’m a pregnant mom of a toddler. I happily take 20 minutes to have a fun drink at a nearby coffee shop almost every day without anyone touching or pulling me. When life feels a little mundane, I happily mix things up by attending candle-making workshops or writing conferences. Don’t ignore the simple joys of sticking to your budget and honoring God’s ways.
But if your mindset all winter long is to check in on everything: personal reflection, prayer, desire for growth, fellowship with other believers, you’re not resting. It’s taking me away from life. Just like the bear who eventually has to leave the cave to find food, you too have to return to reality. If you spend the winter doing nothing to purify your mind or rid yourself of unhealthy things, you’ll find yourself back in the same miserable place you entered into winter seclusion.
Recognize the Biblical Call to Growth
Our ability to continue in our Christian walk requires consistent growth, even if it includes healthy habits of rest and rejuvenation. The Bible makes this call to consistency very clear.
“Practice these things and immerse yourself in them, and everyone will see your progress.” 1 Timothy 4:15
“For by this time you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God’s oracle. What you need is milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is a child and is not acquainted with the words of righteousness. But solid food is for those who are mature, and whose discernment is trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews. 5:12-14
“Therefore, leaving the elementary doctrine of Christ, let us proceed to maturity, without repentance from dead works and again laying the foundations of faith in God…” Hebrews 6:1
“And I pray that your love may abound in knowledge and in all discernment…” Philippians 1:9
“And though your beginnings were small, your last days will be very great.” Job 8:7
“Examine yourselves and see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or are you not aware of yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you actually fail the test! But we pray to God that you will not do what is wrong, not so that we may seem to have passed the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we seem to have failed.” 13:5-7
“Therefore put away all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn babies, long for the pure spiritual milk, that you may grow up to salvation–if you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1 Peter 2:1-3
“Therefore, since you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, being rooted and built up and established in the faith, just as you have been taught, with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7
We are called to a continuous process of becoming. Because in becoming more like Christ we can find proper rest. It’s the kind of respite that sustains us long after the snow melts and the earth is ready to try again.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Halfpoint
Peyton Garland is a writer, editor, and mom of a boy who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee. For more encouragement, subscribe to her blog Uncured+OK.
