Ein Gedi is a dot of respite amid a landscape of harsh desert. Hidden away in a steep valley between two mountains, waterfalls and lush foliage make it a refreshing sight. For the eyes and for the soul.
I’m reminded of rest. And TO rest. But what does that mean? In a self-care culture, it seems the answer should be obvious. But culture’s answer is shallow and empty. It’s a pendulum-swing response telling us to look out for ourselves because nobody else will. A selfish justification that will undoubtedly ring hollow in the end.
True rest is not about a reprieve from responsibility; it’s about our identity. The more we strive to define who we are in the world, the smaller that definition becomes. Creating margin is creating space for God to work in us. To encourage us. To shape and correct us. To define us. To fill us. All for the sake of others.
The escapist view of rest is an insatiable, guilt-inducing trap. We don’t work to rest, we rest to work. So rest up. There’s work to be done. There’s life to be lived.