In Steven Pressfield’s book, The War Of Art, he talks a lot about something he calls “resistance.”
It’s been a while now since I’ve read it, but I remember how much it made sense. I’m sure he puts it more succinctly in his book, but basically, resistance is the human side of you that wars against the side of you that tries to accomplish things.
It’s the voice in your head that says “it’s okay not to do that work tonight, you can do it in the morning.” A voice that pretends to help you but goes against the reality of what is usually the best thing for you.
Pressfield causes it “resistance,” I think I’d simply call it “your flesh.” The Bible talks a lot about your flesh warring against the things that are good.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” – Galatians 5:16
The flesh wants to see us fall and, not to put it too extreme, it wants to kill us. It wants to make us ineffective and feel purposeless. To have as little an impact as possible on this world.
When we are busy, it often seems easier to live apart from the flesh or this “resistance.” We are being productive and it is great. The much more difficult time usually comes when we have rest from that time. After the work is done for the day, the remaining time is time the flesh loves to take over.
Often times it will make laziness look like a reward. If it can take you out for the rest of the evening but make you pretend that you deserve this break, then it has won.
What I’ve realized is that these are the most dangerous times. The time that I think I deserve a break or rest. The flesh tries to make me as ineffective as possible. Whether that be watching a pointless movie, scrolling social media, sleeping, etc.
None of these things are evil of themselves, but when they are taking us away from things that are more beneficial for us, then that’s when they become evil.
My desire for the last several weeks has been that in these moments where I feel I need or deserve to rest from hard work, I seek that rest in God, not in the things of this world. That may look different in each situation. Maybe it means reading His word, maybe it means praying, maybe it means pulling my cello out and playing music.
Resting in Him may have many different looks, but when you find what those things are they are unmistakable. Instead of resting in your own glory, what if you rested where you still received something in return? Resting in Him is what truly gives us our rest and we get a content spirit in return.
This is my desire of the next week and in reality, this is my year goal. My desire is that when I desire to rest, I desire Him, not any of the things of this world.
I challenge you to desire to seek after the same