Rest: 100 Verbs Project (v. 2026)

Rest is a verb of wisdom. It reminds us that stopping is not the same as quitting. In a world that often celebrates motion, noise, and the relentless pursuit of productivity, rest is a reminder that our minds and bodies need time to reset. Rest is a call to trust that renewal is also progress.

There are times when I feel restless. My mind is constantly full of thoughts. When I’m locked in, I don’t think about resting. For a long time, I thought that rest had to be earned. I treated it like a reward for finishing everything on my to-do list. I would finish every task, respond to every message, and push through even when all the signals coming from my body indicated fatigue. The problem, of course, it that the list never really ends. There is always one more thing to do. If rest only comes after everything is done, then rest may never come at all.

I am working through seeing rest differently. Rest is not laziness. It is not a lack of ambition. Rest is care. It is one of the ways we protect what is most valuable in us. A rested mind can think more clearly. A rested heart can respond with more patience. A rested spirit can remember what urgency can make us forget.

Rest can take many forms. Sometimes it is stillness, like laying on a couch on a hot, quiet afternoon. Other times, rest is choosing not to carry what does not belong to us. I am declaring that my worth is not measured on how exhausted I am. Yes, rest can be physical, but it can also be mental, emotional, and spiritual.

As I reflect on this day before Independence Day, I want to remember that rest is restoration. I will not feel guilty about closing my laptop and opening the screen door. Rest, for me, is family and faith and treasuring the time we have together. I plan to lean into that rest in the days to come.

How will you rest?

98 days to go.

ACFI: AE