WRITTEN BY REBECCA GUERRERO

“You're so busy!”

Maybe, like me, you hear these words whenever you turn down an invitation or decline a request to volunteer in some capacity. People don’t like hearing “no” for an answer, and when they do, folks often assume it must be for a “good reason.” In other words, they conclude that your time is already spoken for by some other responsibility or project.

I wonder, would people be more disappointed to find out that your “no” is in order to preserve your time of rest? Are we worried they will think we are selfish or lazy because our life is too full to accommodate their demands?

I think most of us believe so and as a result we agree to more than we want or are called to do. We incorrectly believe that what we are sacrificing—spiritual rest, family fun, or personal downtime—isn’t as important.

But what if we treated these moments of rest as priorities on our calendars and “to do” lists? Would such a perspective help give us freedom from the tyranny of the urgent and the guilt of disappointing others?

The Shackles of Busyness

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes an impassioned plea to the believers in that region to avoid the trap of legalism that was beginning to spread among communities of faith. From the account in Acts 15, we know that early church leaders vehemently debated if recent non-Jewish converts to Christianity must follow Mosaic law. In the middle of his appeal to the Gentiles in the region of Galatia Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, NIV)

While legalism is alive and well today, I believe most of us are just as prone to become slaves to a full calendar and busyness. This happens for a whole host of reasons: to make us feel important, to impress others, to live up to expectations both real and perceived, to prove our worth and perhaps even our worthiness of God’s grace - just to name a few.

And yet our importance comes from Jesus. We don’t have to worry about impressing Him because He knows us better than we know ourselves. And since He loved us first, there is no unmet expectation—real or perceived—that will diminish His love for us.

When we let go of always doing and always working, we are free to live in obedience to our call, unburdened by the results.

It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free—securing rest in our lives is a reminder of this truth.

Prioritizing Rest

So how do we lean into the freedom rest creates and make rest a priority? It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the most effective ways to capitalize on rest is to be ruthlessly intentional with our time. This will look different in various seasons of your life, but here are a few practical steps to consider.

Put all sorts of rest on your calendar.
Everything from fun family activities, exercise, hangouts with friends, your quiet time, even sleep, should be treated as an appointment not to be missed. Now I get it, some of you don’t want to look at your calendar and see every hour of the day scheduled. So instead of creating an event for every type of rest, just schedule the things you are most likely to disregard when someone asks you to take on a new responsibility. Or put that alarm app on your phone to work for you and set reminders for things like the end of your work day. Or create a rule such as no more work after dinner.

Regardless of which path you choose, many of us already live as servants to our schedule. It’s time to give rest the same priority we give other responsibilities.
Create a to-do list and set your priorities every month, week, and day.
Most of us have a to-do list a mile long. We feel defeated when it doesn’t get done (spoiler alert… it never will) and guilty when we take a break because there is “so much to do.” So pick your priorities each month, week, and day. Limit it to less than you think you will get done. For me, it's usually 2-3 things a day. Could you get more than that done in a day? Most likely. But, our goal is to create margin.
Margin gives us freedom from the tyranny of the urgent and allows us to view interruptions as invitations by God to be used by Him.
When we are intentional with our time and leave space it allows us to respond to the people and opportunities God places in our path with love, compassion and focus. If we are scheduled from sunrise to sunset, anything that breaks us from that schedule is going to cause us frustration and remind us that we are shackled to our agenda.
Aggressively avoid adding anything to your calendar or list.
This is the most important one! Resist the urge to add tasks to your list, especially anything that takes away your time for rest. Treat rest with the respect it deserves. And if you absolutely must “bump” a scheduled rest time, treat it like any other appointment and reschedule it or remove a lower priority task from your to-do list for that day.

Will these guidelines end all your busyness? Of course not!

But treating rest as an important part of your schedule will begin to shift the balance of power of your appointment and task list. May this season be one of new found freedom as we learn to prioritize rest and find restoration in him.

**About the Author**

Becca Guerrero is an insightful communicator, enthusiastic in supporting others as they draw closer to God and live-out their purpose. With 20+ years in education and nearly three decades in ministry, she would love to encourage your group of any age to reach their goals and live with intention. Learn more about Becca at **beccaguerrero.com**

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