Serenity and Rest

God grant me there serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
— Reinhart Niebuhr

There is a John Lennon quote that keeps coming into my mind throughout my life.

“Life is what happens when you are making other plans.”

Or perhaps you have heard it another way? An old Yiddish proverbs states, “We plan, God laughs.”

I had a great plan to write a blog weekly for my sabbatical. I can guarantee that put God into a belly laugh! Through my best intentions, many thoughts and aha moments, through reading and listening to audio books, I have learned that that sometimes the mind just needs to rest. Who knew!

So maybe scientists and other learned people knew this. The bible certainly does as we keep hearing our God insisting on keeping sabbath time!

Even Jesus invites us to rest. In the gospel of Matthew he says:

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28–30)

But what does it mean to rest?

We can good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to face a new day. We can take time out of our regular routines and do something completely different that brings a spring to our steps and a brand new perspective. We can take time to let our minds go into neutral and not think about much and give all the concerns and worries of our hearts to God — even if it is only for a moment or two. Ultimately we can give ourselves slack and forgive ourselves for being less than perfect and needing time to recharge regardless of what societal’s expectation and the commercials about energy drinks might promise.

Sometimes the first step to rest is acknowledging how tired we are. It can mean pausing to experience what our bodies are trying to tell us.

As I continue to read John O’Donohue’s book, Anam Cara, he writes about the relationship between the spirit and the body. Rather than thinking about the body in the Roman Greco Christian tradition of spirit — good, body — bad dualism, he invites us to explore the body as a sacrament. What happens when we explore our body as a visible sign of an invisible grace?

O’Donohue invites us to see our bodies as the place where the soul becomes visible. He also reminds us that our bodies do not lie. Where we can use our minds and thoughts to persuade us to do things that may not be healthy to our mind, body and spirits, our bodies give us immediate feedback whether it is a body function or a feeling. It is a matter of whether we are listening to our bodies to hear what they are telling us.

I wonder if the serenity prayer points us to listening to our bodies. For there are things we can do like eat well, exercise, pray and even practice gratitude that will feed our bodies in such a way that it will better nurture our spirits. The latest science studies speak of how our digestion can even affect our mental outlook.

Rest can also affect how we see the world and help us make sense of what we are experiencing. The analogy of music reminds us that it is the silence in the gaps that makes the notes. Author Wayne Dyer in his book invites folks to pray the Lord’s prayer and intentionally take a breath between each word of the prayer for he believes that in the space between each word, each thought is where we make conscious contact with God.

How do you rest? Find serenity — the tranquility of spirit — in your life? How do rest and find stillness, reflection and mindfulness?

I love how the Message translates Psalm 55:6 tries to find serenity. Eugene Peterson translates this verse to mean:

Get me out of here on dove wings;
I want some peace and quiet.


I hope you are finding rest as we begin this summer season. Will you add it into the rhythm of your day? Slip it into a vacation away from your regular routine? Sneak in an afternoon nap? What is your body inviting you to do?

I close with two verses of John O’Donohue’s words from the blessing “For One Who is Exhausted”

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do no but rest
and patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken in the race of days.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that wells far within slow time.

Related posts:

This is about my experience of burnout a few months ago. I’m more mindful these days about when I need to back away from the edge…unless love is involved…. La petite mort (French pronunciation: ​[la…

I like to call myself a data geek. While working at Zedo ((Ad tech organisation)from the year 2015–2017 i realised how data based business decisions are taking over intuition based ones. I graduated…