A Blessing to Do Nothing
Blessed are you
when you reach a moment
after a chaotic season
or a busy week
and find just a sliver of time
to do nothing.
Instead of looking for a chore to check off or a task to complete,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.
Instead of searching to fill half an hour of your day,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.
Instead of turning on the news and being inundated with noise,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.
Instead of feeling the urge to keep doing, keep working, keep striving,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.
Our world wants us to keep going until we can’t,
to pour ourselves out until we are empty.
Our jobs and lives require so much of us,
our weeks and days are never ending.
But when a moment of pause sneaks up on you,
Take it.
Breathe deeply.
Close your eyes.
It’s okay to do nothing.
It’s okay to take a moment for yourself,
To breathe and be filled,
To rest and find peace.
You need it;
your body, soul, mind and spirit need it.
Blessed are you when you do nothing,
even if for just a few minutes.
I am going to be honest, I am the last person who would take this blessing to heart. I live by my calendar, to-do lists and outlined plans. In fact, I enjoy all these things. I am always thinking months in advance and love checking off things on my many checklists. My family would probably laugh at the fact that I chose to write this blessing because I am not one to stop and do nothing. I always feel the need to do something.
But this year I am learning the importance of rest and renewal. Colleagues and friends have challenged me to find moments to pause in my own life. Our congregation has even engaged in a season of rest during a time of transition and transformation. The idea of rest or sabbath is countercultural. Our society tells us to do the opposite, to focus on work, success, accomplishment and doing. Either we fill our schedules full, or they are filled to the brim for us.
As we read in Genesis 1, God created and then God rested. We too were created and called to rest and experience sabbath. Pausing during our chaotic day allows us a moment to be filled with God’s presence and allows our bodies and minds to be renewed. Moments of pause may surprise us; they aren’t often scheduled, and sometimes they randomly show up after a few busy hours. Rather than going to the next task or seeking out something that can or should be done, we can choose to do nothing. The idea of doing nothing can make us fearful or even guilty, feeling that we should be doing something. But doing nothing is restful, and we need to rest and be filled, because those moments are few and far between. God is still present in those moments of nothing, so give yourself permission to do nothing for a moment today.
