Silencing the Ding

by Jodie Lannan

Does the idea of rest sound like a luxury item you cannot afford, a guilty pleasure, or maybe even a little sinful? We live in a society that glorifies a hustle culture and an overbooked, overburdened lifestyle where our phone’s notifications rule our every waking moment.

DING! It’s time to get up.

DING! Got to get to the gym and work up a sweat.

DING! You have a meeting in 15 minutes.

DING! Don’t forget to take Fido to the groomer.

DING! Remember to call your mother for her birthday.

DING! Someone liked your post.

DING!

DING! DING! DING!

Are you feeling exhausted, burned-out, or tired of the constant ding, ding, ding? If you said yes, you are not alone. A 2024 survey by the American Psychological Association indicated that 43% of respondents said they feel chronically exhausted due to the everyday demands of life. Spill, a mental health platform used in employee assistance programs, in its 2024 Mental Health Report, cited 59% of U.S. adults feeling mentally exhausted at least once a week. Let those statistics sink in for a moment: in essence, half of America’s adult population is worn out emotionally, physically, spiritually, or all three. Our minds and bodies are sending us notifications, but we are ignoring the dings. 

We know weariness, tiredness, and exhaustion are symptoms of the absence of rest in our lives, but what do we do about it? Fortunately, God provided us with a blueprint for rest all the way back in the beginning. Imagine the enormity of God’s task list during creation week. He had the busiest, most demanding schedule ever conceived where every decision he made was, very literally, life-altering, and yet, he chose to set aside a day for rest from his work (Genesis 2:2). Rest was woven into creation, so it is not a luxury or a guilty pleasure or a sinful indulgence. God, in his infinite wisdom, knew that establishing a rhythm of rest from work would be a blessing to us (Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:27) and would provide an opportunity for us to worship him by trusting in him to meet our every need. 

Jesus, our great teacher and high priest, practiced the rhythm of rest by frequently taking breaks from the demands of his ministry to enjoy solitude, prayer, and yes, even physical rest (Mark 1:35; 6:31-32; Luke 5:15-16; John 4:6). He modeled for us the importance of resting to recharge our finite bodies, but more importantly, resting from our striving to be, to do, and to become. He invited us into a type of rest that is so deeply intimate that it refreshes our souls and renews our hearts and minds (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus offers us the gift of real rest, but will we open the gift and actually use it? 

The real rest offered by Jesus requires intentionality on our part and I do not mean to imply the legalistic approach that requires yet another notification ding. Intentionally taking time away from the demands of our busy-ness, whatever that may comprise in the current season of life, and setting aside time to reflect on the goodness of God, to relish in the reality of his forgiveness and grace, and to enjoy the beauty of his creation in a heart posture of gratitude ushers us into the rest that Jesus provides. In our rest, we cease striving and lean into the understanding that our value is not in our doing, it is in our identity as sons and daughters of the one, true King. 

Rest is not escapism, laziness, or being unproductive; it is actually a part of our discipleship patterned after Jesus’ own rhythm of work and rest. Jesus withdrew from the noise of the crowds (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:15-16) and found solitary places where he could communicate with the Father through prayer while also physically resting. He established a pattern of work and rest that allowed him to fulfill His earthly ministry. There are several noises in my life that impede my rhythm of rest that I need to intentionally withdraw from periodically. The ding, ding, ding of social media, group text messages, news alerts, and calendar requests are just a few of the noisy notifications I need to silence. 

Will you join me in silencing some notifications to free up time and space to intentionally practice the rhythm of rest? Pick one notification type and silence it for 24 hours this week. Use the reclaimed time to sit quietly, read Matthew 11:28-30, and ask, “What kind of rest is Jesus offering me today?”