Rest for My Soul

The following post is from guest author Fiona Mackay. Originally from the Isle of Skye, Fiona lives and works as an English tutor in Inverness, Scotland, along with her photographer husband, Roddy, and their three children. Her heart is for sharing her creative enthusiasm in both Shakespeare and local women’s ministry.

I’m stressed. My brain is saturated with to-do lists (undone), work emails (unanswered), and dishes in the sink (unwashed). I may not say it out loud, but I’m gasping for breath; my soul is thirsty and parched.

Why is it that when I experience this thirst - overwhelmed by a messy house, complex finances, or relationship stress - I find myself turning not to God but instead to a 30-second video of a stranger scrubbing her floors and setting her house in order?  And then another video of someone vacuuming so they have pleasingly symmetrical Hoover lines on their carpets? And then another of someone meal-prepping for their working week, with aesthetic boxes lined up with wholesome meals and snacks ready to go?

As an Elder Millennial (pardon me for claiming one of those ubiquitous generation titles, Hoover, but maybe it helps frame my perspective and age group), I would make a bold claim that anyone younger than me will be all too aware of these viral time-lapse video trends. We collectively consume hours of content where an individual walks us through their daily routine: cleaning their kitchen, blitzing their bathroom, tidying up after dinner… you name it, cleaning up or wiping down, it’s all on show. Apparently, cleaning videos alone have acquired over 150 billion views (only some of which were mine). What on earth am I watching this for? A fair, if uncomfortable, question; one I am certainly trying to ask myself lately.

I mentioned these types of videos to a group of more mature women recently and very few of them had ever seen or heard of such a thing. I felt a little embarrassed trying to explain what might be the purpose of these videos - wouldn’t you?

If I’m being honest, I know turning to a screen to watch others restore order in their homes is a very basic attempt to try and soothe my stress. After watching it, I remain temporarily entertained - but still thirsty. But what solution am I looking for? To have a clean countertop, tidy floors and ordered rainbow bookshelves? To reset and rest? I am craving respite from the stresses of life - sometimes not from any particular crisis or drama, but the daily and mundane tasks of ordinary life, which require my attention without praise or accolades for being completed, but hold wider consequences if they are left undone. I need sustenance.

When we reach an awareness of our unhelpful go-to solutions for these stresses, God offers us an alternative - the only true alternative. His word promises us a “light for my path” and the only water to quench that thirst we long to abate.

The regular habits we form as believers are crucial when it comes to times of daily pressure: like a boxer or musician (I am only one of these), it requires time, discipline, and commitment to rehearse our moves so that our brains and bodies know what to do instinctively under the stress of a live performance. We want our spiritual training to be so deeply ingrained that our reflex response will be to direct ourselves to God, rather than a secondary and lesser option: cleaning videos being only my version, but certainly this can morph according to our personalities. Whatever form they take, these options are always a poor replacement for the ultimate rest offered to us by our loving God. 

As the psalmist says in Psalm 37, the God who offers us rest is the one who knows us and “delights in every detail” of our lives. He is well aware of the soul-crushing pressure we may be facing, the weight of strained relationships or financial anxiety that keeps us awake at night. He knows when our children won’t sleep or our friend is grieving an unfathomable loss; when we feel insecure about our weight, when chronic pain is a daily companion, or when we lose our temper with our parents. He knows and holds it all.

He is the same God described in another psalm of David, Psalm 62, where we are urged not to put our hope elsewhere (and we all have an ‘elsewhere’). David encourages fellow believers to trust in God “at all times”, not only when we have reached a crisis, but as our ordinary everyday habit. We look for protection: he is our fortress; we long to be known; he is our refuge; we seek stability: he is our rock. What a beautiful invitation to our soul to rest, rather than settling for anything less.