God Wants You to Rest (feat. Sr. Mary Grace, SV)

you were created to rest we work in order that we can rest we don't rest in order that we can work and now is the time to bring back that balance bring back that truth hi my name is Sister Mary Grace and I am a sister of life and this is Ascension presents when was the last time you took a real break I'm talking like your cell phone's not with you you don't have a to-do list going an intentional lifegiving break I want to get a little personal with you I've suffered two serious concussions before and the only way that the doctor advised me to get over these concussions and get through them was to take a time period of total cognitive rest now I don't know about you but this was really hard for me I was told for 30 minutes a day I had to sit in a chair and watch the leaves fall this was so hard for me but it was the first time I realized how much was going on externally and internally and it felt like torture to sit still when it comes to rest and taking breaks I think we can easily think of them as a waste of time or something reserved for retirement or a luxury for those who can afford it but rest is so much more than that in fact it's something so much deeper true rest is returning to the reality of who you are and rest is so much more than just taking a moment of self-care it's returning to the truth that God made you to rest God Made You and me to rest in deeper truths that put our heart body mind and soul at rest that you are loved at all times that God sees you upholds you and is actually taking care of you and tending to the deepest needs of your heart at every moment of your life whether you feel like you measure up you've done a great job or a poor job God is always tending to the Deep needs of your heart and you can return to that you can take rest in this place you can live there we have a Eucharistic holy hour called the source that we do in Manhattan and on Fifth Avenue and one night this gentleman came in and he came and just was invited to prayer came inside and he said to us you know sisters this cathedral was the first place that it didn't cost me an entrance fee these basic and fundamental truths about God's love for you at all times this is cost free we can't earn it we can't pay for it it's the gift God gives you at every moment and when we take a break whether it's a minute or an hour long returning to these basic truths of who we are will set us free to rest and not only rest but live from a place of rest knowing that this is true and available to your heart and mind 100% of the time you know we can be so quick to judge our worth based on how well do we're doing at work what our paychecks like are we climbing the ladder what kind of followers we have how in order are our plans for the future or lack of plans for the future we're experts at self-judgment and we can easily hold ourselves in self-contempt but when was the last time that you paused and considered God's view of you you see God doesn't have an agenda for your life so what actually happens when when we rest we're brought back to reality rest reminds us who we really are that my worth isn't Stak on my productivity levels or how efficient my work hours are rest allows us to return to the reality that you are good that God created you to be not to do anything and in reality the deepest place of our hearts are always at rest because they are always before the Gaze of God and the more we can return to that place the more we can live freely and too much activity getting caught up with the frenzy nature of Life can uh distract us from living this core reality of who we are can pull us apart from the very depths of our goodness and as the world becomes more frantic we actually need to become more restful resist the pressure to keep up with the pace and in fact what we need to do is the opposite we need to double up on rest we need to prioritize our prayer we need to refuse the pressure to keep up with an Ever accelerating world so how do we do this we actually need breaks and protected time to Leisure to take rest to take time off whether that's even a moment in your day a simple turning a lifting of the heart to remember these realities can change the trajectory of your day to return to the truth that you are a gift and in God's eyes you are enough you were created to find your worth and who you are and not just what you do you and I know that it's just not enough to know these truths we need to believe them enjoy them remember them frequently be reminded of them which which is why you can let yourself take Leisure Leisure isn't something you deserve it's What You're Made for we need it to flourish now Leisure made look different from person to person but the principles are Universal and you can discover what true Leisure is for you by pondering some of these questions what rejuvenates you what brings your heart rate down what could you do forever what makes you feel like a child again you see because God Is So invested in you becoming you there's no one like you and the way that you love and flourish and the unique love that you have is not going to look like any other person and your life and your love your particularities your gifts and your gaps are completely unique so I just invite you to ask these questions Ponder these questions and discover the ways in which you come alive not just in times of work and productivity but other times in your life when you're taking a break when you're spending time for yourself because when we learn to play again and enjoy the gift that it is to live we find our way home our way home to being Children of the father a father that Delights in us being ourselves a father that Delights in the fact that we enjoy life you know in the convent we have this practice where we have two one hours of what we call Recreation and in this time it's an opportunity for a sister to literally take time off to not do anything that's productive or uh efficient to work as good as Ministry is it's important to have protected times during our day where we can enjoy the gift of our life and in these hours of recreation we do things that we call a lifegiving that rejuvenates the heart that causes us to stop to take a breath and to look up again and remember the truths that we are good not for anything we do but because we exist and in all honesty taking breaks is a daily battle for me you know taking the next break might be the bravest thing you do today but you are worth it and actually you don't only just deserve it you were made for it too often we run through life and forget the most essential things of our day that God did not put you here to make something useful of your life your life is good and you deserve remembering that every day and living from that place so that no matter what you do in your day your worth does not depend on what you do but who you are so I just invite you to take a break close your eyes and listen to the beat of your heart that comes from the source of God's love for you because there within you without doing anything without earning anything you have access to infinite unconditional love it's personal it's for you and it's worth taking a break so let's let love in a little more today God bless you it begins with taking breaks whether this is during work hours I don't want to encourage people to [Music] it

Channel: Ascension Presents

Views: 162,952

Keywords: ascension, ascension press, ascension presents, catholic advice, catholic inspiration, catholic motivation, sv, sisters of life, sr. mary grace, sister mary grace, am i good, my goodness, my worth, human doing, self improvement, self help, self worth, encounter with god, catholic church, litany of trust, authentic leisure, spiritual rest, self-care, restful living, leisure time, inner peace, leisure activities, embracing rest

Id: u7UuV6_u3pE

Length: 7min 28sec (448 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 07 2024