THE ART OF REST:
Faith to hit pause in a world that never stops
By Adam Mabry
The Good Book Company. 136 pages. £6.79
ISBN 978 1 784 983 208
‘Rest looks different to what you thought, and more important than you probably imagined.’ In a book that more and more people are talking about, Adam Mabry clarifies what true rest is (and what it isn’t), why we need it, and why many of us are struggling to do it.
The book opens with the author’s honest confession of his own personal battle: ‘I don’t do rest. I do do.’ He takes us through the biblical story of rest and its fulfilment in Christ. In doing so, he gets under the skin of why we struggle to hit pause and identifies three lies that Satan seeks to propagate: ‘I am what I do…God’s given me too much to do…’ and ‘if I stop, life just won’t work out.’ For each, he points to Christ as the solution and the Saviour.
Adam then sets out the blessings that come with biblical rest: remembering the gospel; resisting our tendency towards self-justification; restoring our relationships; and enjoying the rewards that are ours as we enjoy who we are in Christ. With the biblical foundations in place, there is then lots of practical application.
Busyness and idols
Although written in an American context, the book requires little translation for a UK audience. It puts its finger on many of the issues that exist in Western culture around busyness and rest. It shines a spotlight on our idols and warns, where necessary, about the dangers of busyness and the damage that looms if we don’t hit pause.
Adam is not a Sabbatarian (and he doesn’t major on that issue) but almost all of what he says applies on either side of that debate. The scenarios from his own life and ministry will, for many, be reassuringly (even painfully!) familiar. Indeed, his admission that ‘not resting almost broke me’ is evidence, were it required, that he writes from a personal experience.
His biblical clarity and pastoral sensitivity are a winsome combination. The rebukes are real, but clothed in grace. And I found myself wanting more of that rest which he describes.
This is a brilliant read for any Christian disciple, and it asks some probing questions of evangelicalism more generally. I wonder if ministry teams might find it useful to read together, in reflecting on patterns of ministry and the culture of our churches? It made me want to re-think the way I do rest. Which is probably a good thing.
