Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

All I want for Christmas is rest

OpinionJayne Hugo Davis  |  November 13, 2015

Davis Jayne ColumnBy Jayne Hugo Davis

As we closed a committee meeting last week, I reminded the group that our next gathering would be our annual Christmas party. There was a collective gasp, but the calendar didn’t lie. Yet again, the days and months had flown swiftly by, and talk of mangers and mistletoe meant that the pace was about to pick up even more.

To speak of rest at this time of year is thought laughable by most. The idea of carving out margin — that open space in our calendars and our minds and our spirits that buffers the competing demands on our lives and makes room for creativity and reflection and being — gets written once more in the crazy dream column of our list for Santa.

“All I want for Christmas is rest.”

While we often look to our many activities and commitments and to do lists as the main thieves of our rest, the reality is even if we cleared our calendars, many of us would still be exhausted because our minds would still be full. Like the man portraying the Maytag refrigerator in the television commercial that never rests but keeps on running even after all the lights in the house have been turned off, the chatter in our head and the burdens in our heart are pulling energy 24/7.

Emotional rest, more than physical rest, may actually be the margin we are longing for.

In these days before the holiday season kicks off in earnest, there is a window of opportunity to create room in your life for emotional rest, to clear out space in the manger of your cluttered spirit that can hold the coming Christ child and receive the true gift of rest that Jesus brings.

Consider one of these spiritual practices as a gift that you might give yourself as you get ready for Christmas.

Decluttering our mind: The spiritual practice of a new message

In his book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, Richard Swenson talks about many of the enemies of emotional rest – worry, pride, unrealistic expectations, preoccupation with success and approval. Many people are exhausted because of the tapes constantly running in their head. Thoughts of not being good enough. Beating ourselves up for making that same mistake — again. Imagining the worst of what people might be thinking or saying about us. It doesn’t matter that our imaginings are rarely true. The mental hamster wheel consumes our mind and drains the emotional margin out of our lives.

It’s like the messed up old 45 I had of Don McLean’s song, American Pie, which skipped every time “we played dirges in the dark … in the dark … in the dark .…” As if the song wasn’t interminable already, it predictably hit a rut and stayed there — every time.

You know the rut in your life. The place, the thought, the relationship where the mental chatter goes nowhere good and, in fact, just plays the same destructive word over and over and over again. We all have thoughts we need to replace.

Jesus countered Satan’s lies with Scripture. Find a verse or a phrase or a word that reminds you of God’s presence, of God’s care for you. Then pay attention to the songs that skip in your head every time they play. Begin to anticipate them. Recognize that first chord and immediately choose God’s word for you instead. Repeat it over and over to yourself, until the negative chatter begins to wane.

Decluttering the heart: The spiritual practice of forgiveness

“Whom have we thrown into our debtor’s prison?”

That’s a powerful question asked by Stephen Bryant and Marjorie Thompson in The Way of Forgiveness.

“Every one of us has a dungeon inside where we hold captive those who owe us for aggravation, insult, cheating, lying, manipulation, or any form of harm,” they say.

We know we’ve put folks in there “if we go in every so often and ‘beat them up’ with angry thoughts, vengeful fantasies, bad wishes and curses, and resentful replays of conversations in which we really ‘tell them off.’”

Is there someone in your debtor’s prison? How much emotional energy does it take to house them there?

Forgiveness may be one of the most difficult and most simple gifts we can give this Christmas. But, as author Tim Kimmel notes, “It’s a gift that, once given, offers something in return. Your spirit gets a rest.”

Are you tired?

Declutter your spirit. Create room for the Christ child in your life — and find the rest you long for.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:columns
More by
Jayne Hugo Davis
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      News

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      Opinion

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      News

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      News


    Curated

    • In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

      In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

    • Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

      Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

    • Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

      Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

    • Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

      Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

    Read Next:

    A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again

    AnalysisMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Here’s a guide to understanding the latest report from Southwestern’s trustees

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Is Rick Warren reviving the fight against the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC?

      OpinionMeredith Stone

    • An open letter to all Southern Baptists

      OpinionRick Warren

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • An open letter to Elijah Brown, Baptist World Alliance CEO

      OpinionRichard Wilson

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      NewsRick Pidcock

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights

      AnalysisSteve Rabey

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Shurden Lecture takes on the ‘myth of American chosenness’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • What happens when Tom Ascol finds Ted Cruz to be too liberal and quotes Leviticus 20:13?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

      NewsRick Pidcock

    • Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina loses president and board chair in same week

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Faith-based immigration advocates hopeful about new bill in Congress

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Coalition urges White House not to overlook Black immigrants

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Gay Christian man says he was kicked off BWA commissions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Southwestern trustees affirm their leadership and repudiate two trustees who raised alarms

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • Medical professionals address myths and misconceptions about transgender kids

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • U.S. Department of Education issues guidance on religious expression in schools

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ten Commandments bill dies in Texas Legislature

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Leader of Assemblies of God student group at Baylor arrested on child sexual abuse charges

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • BJC and Interfaith Alliance applaud first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • New documentary series shows how churches that close can keep ministry open

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Southwestern Seminary trustees called to special meeting next Tuesday

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 5-26-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • 8-year-old’s death in CBP custody highlights Biden’s ‘system of death,’ immigration advocates say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Evangelical worldview ministries seek to promote ‘proper’ thoughts, beliefs and actions

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Here’s another angle to corporate DEI work: Increased support for ‘faith friendly’ workplaces

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Amid Sudan war and elsewhere, water scarcity threatens lives

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Gap widens on American confidence in vaccines

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Is Rick Warren reviving the fight against the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC?

      OpinionMeredith Stone

    • An open letter to all Southern Baptists

      OpinionRick Warren

    • An open letter to Elijah Brown, Baptist World Alliance CEO

      OpinionRichard Wilson

    • Why this seminary professor’s view of MrBeast and his friend is deadly and dangerous

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • What I learned from Taylor Swift

      OpinionBill Wilson

    • Remembering Pulse nighclub and the power of affirmation

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • Working and waiting with people and plants

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Let’s reclaim the real Baptist identity

      OpinionJustin L. Addington

    • To the mother who complained about Amanda Gorman’s poem

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • Rising from the ashes: God’s empowering message for displaced women

      OpinionRosaly Guzman

    • How the Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to put faith into action

      OpinionDarryl Gray

    • Believe me: The struggle of Black pain

      OpinionZachary Barber

    • They’ll know we are Christians by our what?

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • How to celebrate Pentecost without balloons, plastic doves or salsa

      OpinionJack Levison

    • The generational pain and hope of the Southern Baptist witch trials

      OpinionWill Raybon

    • Why demographic shifts haven’t yet swamped the Republican Party

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • Tina Turner kept the divine flame burning

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Remembering Bob Seymour: Being wise as serpents and harmless as doves

      OpinionCurtis Freeman

    • Here’s why Ron DeSantis has gone to war with Disney

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Yes, Tim Scott is a Black man, but he’s still promoting Christian nationalism

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • Why ‘affirming’ churches need to speak up

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Five things Southern Baptists should do now to address clergy sex abuse

      OpinionChrista Brown and David Clohessy

    • Why we must be cautious about understanding what’s going on at Southwestern Seminary

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • On graduation and the priesthood of all believers

      OpinionVal Fisk

    • Here’s how to force SBC entities to be accountable to people in the pew about their finances

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • In Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish rituals feature as prominently as the carnage of the day

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pride flag glimpsed on ‘The Chosen’ set prompts call for boycott

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why Chick-fil-A Is Drawing Fire Over a ‘Culture of Belonging’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Survey: Drop in Eastern European antisemitism may be due to Zelenskyy effect

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Street scrolls: The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Near the Western Wall, Jewish radicals shout at Christian Evangelicals to ‘go home’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Playing a religious character without making faith the punchline

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Jewish settlers erect religious school in evacuated West Bank outpost after Israel repeals ban

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How the practice of Nichiren Buddhism sustained Tina Turner for 50 years

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Connecticut lawmakers absolve accused colonial-era witches, apologize for “miscarriage of justice”

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Avatar’ Franchise Expands Ideas About Spirituality Beyond A Western, Christian Lens

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Catholic Church in California grapples with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Canadian Christians Launch Collective for Climate Action

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ ends, will its Jewish legacy be more than a punchline?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Slavic Churches Booming with Ukrainian War Refugees

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What is ‘ethical AI’ and how can companies achieve it?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Russia acknowledges Vatican peace initiative, says no steps yet for a mission to Moscow

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What we need to understand is that fascism is intersectional and erotic — ’thy rod is thy gun,’ with a hip-thrust

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Our Beloved Ones Don’t Become Angels When They Die

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Turkey’s Christian Sites: Visiting The Seven Churches From The Book Of Revelation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Firewalkers in Greece honor Saint Constantine in mystery-shrouded, centuries-old rituals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In fight against ‘tyranny,’ Michigan board declares itself ‘constitutional county’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Montana acts to protect Native American priority in adopting Native children

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS