The Courage to Pause: Listening at the Feet of Jesus

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Bold Women: Presence and Passion at the Foot of the Cross

Catholic Women in Business’ Lenten Theme

On reflecting on and discussing Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, the Catholic Women in Business leadership team saw a common theme: women. In the New Testament, we read of bold women who encountered Jesus and were forever changed. These women boldly spoke to him, boldly loved him, and boldly took his message into their communities. This Lent, our writers will be exploring this theme in their articles. Share how you are carrying your cross boldly and passionately in our Facebook group!

It seems like there’s a lot of talk right now about “grrrl power” and “leaning in” and “hustling,” as if the only way to be a successful woman is to wear ourselves thin building a career or business. But the simultaneous concern with self-care and work-life balance reveals that most of us aren’t happy chasing workaholism.

In mid-February, I read a newsletter from a female entrepreneur whose work I admire. She shared with her readers that she had finally taken a “rest day” in 2020. One full day. Truthfully, I was shocked: Her words implied that she had worked every day in 2020 thus far. That’s a full month and a half without a break!

Then, I realized that there have been seasons in my own life like that: seasons where I felt a gentle nudge to actually take Sundays as days of rest, but I was too busy, had too much going on, couldn’t possibly stop, because who would keep all the plates spinning?

(Never mind that the God who was inviting me to rest had created the plates in the first place.)

The Courage to Do Nothing

Recently, I stumbled upon these lines from the French poet Charles Pèguy’s poem “The Portal of the Mystery of Hope,” giving a God’s-eye view to the situation:

I’m talking about those who work and who don’t sleep.

I pity them. I’m talking about those who work, and who thus in doing this are following my commandment, poor children.

And who, on the other hand, don’t have the courage, don’t have the confidence to sleep.

I pity them. I hold it against them. A bit. They don’t trust me.

As a child lays innocently in his mother’s arms, thus they do not lay innocently in the arms of my Providence.

They have the courage to work. They don’t have the courage to do nothing.

They possess the virtue of work. They don’t possess the virtue of doing nothing.

Of relaxing. Of resting. Of sleeping.

Unhappy people, they don’t know what’s good.

I had been thinking about rest in terms of obedience (God said to rest!) or in terms of productivity (rest in order to get more done!), but I hadn’t been thinking about it in terms of trust, in terms of courage.

Do I have “the courage to do nothing”? Do I trust that God has things under control? Or even that other people might? Do I live like everything depends on me? Am I afraid to rest because somehow I find my self-worth, my identity, in doing, rather than being?

Mary or Martha?

Truth be told, I’ve always related to Martha in the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). They’re about to host a giant group of people in their home — including the Most Important Person in the Universe — and instead of helping to get things in order, Mary goes off to sit at the feet of Jesus. How are all these people going to be fed if she doesn’t help? Isn’t she failing to practice hospitality?

But no, Jesus sides with Mary. And his gentle rebuke of Martha has nothing to do with her work and everything to do with her disposition: She is “anxious and worried about many things,” but Mary isn’t. She knows, somehow, in that moment, that being present with Jesus is the right thing to do — that he can take care of everything else if she just sits at His feet. She has courage enough to rest, courage enough to trust that the God of the universe will keep the world spinning while she spends time with Him.

What’s more, Mary has chosen a place that, at the time, was set aside for men. Learning at the feet of a great teacher was thought to be unfitting for women. Funnily enough, Mary exhibits courage by setting aside her contemporary women’s work. She doesn’t lean in, hustle more, or work harder. She just sits.

What if we, too, set aside the need to always do more? What if we had the courage to take a purposeful pause from our demanding careers and businesses? What if being bold meant ceasing the hustle; letting go of the anxiety about “many things”; and, instead, choosing to sit at the feet of Jesus and drink in the wisdom and goodness of His loving heart?

Maybe in your personal life, you’re already committed to pausing for rest and prayer but can’t see what taking a break at or from work might look like. If so, here are three tips to help get you started:

1. Set a Boundary Around Your Email (or Other Tech) Availability

Make it clear that you don’t respond outside of set hours. Then make sure you don’t respond outside of that time! Taking a break from the anxiety of constant availability can encourage others to do the same.

2. Take an Actual Lunch Break

Don’t eat hunched over your desk. If you’re an introvert and need to recharge by being alone, bring a novel or magazine to page through so you can be away from your computer, or take a walk by yourself. If you’re an extrovert, invite someone to eat lunch with you. Put your phone away, and have a real conversation.

3. Think About How You Might Encourage or Enable a Company Retreat

… not a “work retreat,” which is still dedicated to work, but a day or half-day that’s dedicated to rest and relaxation. The studies on the benefits of rest are pretty clear. Just bringing this research to the attention of your manager might be a good first step.

If you’re in the middle of a busy season and feel overwhelmed at the thought of even daring to pause, remember that Jesus offers his way of life as a gift, not a burden: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Kerri Christopher is a life consultant. She helps individuals learn to discern well, discover their priorities, and make plans to move forward. From “what am I doing with my life?” to “why is my closet always a mess?,” she loves helping people sift through the tough questions by integrating the wisdom and truths of the Christian life with the best practices of human “self-help.” Kerri has both an MA and STL in theology and has taught at universities in the US and UK. With her British husband, she lives in London, where she enjoys discovering cozy pubs and beautiful architecture. You can find her online at Clarity Life Consulting.