“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” (Mk 6:31)

On a recent drive home from visiting my parents, I thought of around five blog post ideas in the span of an hour and half. Because I couldn’t write them down, I dictated them into my phone to transcribe later. Once one idea formed, the rest flowed quickly – so quickly, I felt I almost couldn’t keep up.

In our busy society, we don’t take time to slow down and consider the benefits of rest. We think we’re resting when we’re asleep, but there is a difference between rest and sleep. When you rest, you deliberately turn away from the busyness – even if only for five or ten minutes – so that you can refocus.

Have you ever wondered why you have so many good ideas when you’re in situations where you can’t write the ideas down? You might be in the shower and develop the plot and characters for an entire book series. Maybe you wake up in the middle of the night with a fantastic idea rolling around in your head or the remnants of a dream that you know would make a great movie. Many times, I’ve taken Lilly for a walk and will think of several potential solutions to a problem I’ve been facing.

Research has shown that 72 percent of us get our best ideas in the shower. This is due to the fact that we are more relaxed, and relaxation contributes to creative thinking. It stands to reason that any situation in which you’re relaxed would be a catalyst for creative thinking.

This means that daydreaming is actually a good thing, right? At first, daydreaming can seem as if you’re slacking off. But think of it as a type of energy management. If you take time to step away from the problem and come back with a solution, then you have been much more productive than if you’d continued to stew about the issue and not come up with anything.

Jesus was also a steward of both his time and energy resources. When he felt depleted and needed to rest, he did so. In a well-known story from Mark 4:35-40, Jesus and his disciples leave the crowd behind, and Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat when a terrible storm comes up. His disciples wake him, and he calms the storm. Jesus knew that work needed to be done, but he took time to rest anyway because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to perform at his best without rest.

We continually push ourselves past the point of needing rest. We go and go and say yes to good things, but we never slow down enough to rest. Take that time today. Connect with Jesus. Play games with your family. Read a good book. Sit and listen to music. Take a walk. Rest.

Dear Jesus, help me to build in time to rest and connect with you so that I’m at my best and able to do the work you have for me to do. Amen.