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Writer's pictureEmma Major

Rest

This page brings together all the resources I have created about the importance of rest.    

Rest has become an essential part of my life and ministry and I hope that by modelling that I can encourage other people to rest as a blessing from God.


Below you will find the poems, prayers and paintings I have created about Rest over the last few years.  Below these you can find a list of articles, videos, interviews, podcasts, books and resources I have created about Rest.  



Poems and Paintings:



Stillness in my heart

Finding peace amidst chaos

Mind, body, soul


Quiet weighs heavy

Too much space for thinking

Prayer lifts the weight


Make space for prayer

Gliding on wings of the doves

Peace descends lightly


Jesus valued rest 

Took time away in prayer

Let's rest with Jesus


Discovering truth 

Think of me: Human being

Not human doing


Surprisingly centered

In the wreckage of life

Love, joy, peace and hope




Resting gently on the lonely road,  

Each breath a whisper of stillness,  

Silhouettes of dreams dance in twilight,  

Time pauses as shadows embrace solitude.  




No escape allowed

Rest beyond rest required 

Til synapses calm


Lean on me and rest

No need to constantly rush

Life is a journey


Archway beckoning

What lies beyond that threshold

Investigation


Angels surround us

Protecting and inspiring

Existential love


Love flourishes

Within the quiet places

Colouring the dark


Flooded by rainbows

Every body accepted

Celebrating love


Loving in colour

Myriad effervescence

Living and learning



...



shattered identities 

steal unshed tears

salvaging long time memories

as they fall decadently 

with my sanity

as petals of pain 


trauma tap dances 

on bruised emotions

suffocating wounds 

of entangled rhapsody

warm air encircles

as healing nature calls


I drown my anger

in rockpools of faith

moving beyond revenge

my soul heals

as the seasons rest

in the embers of sunset




Trust me when I say

You need to make time to rest

Be still and connect


Stop comparisons

Accept you are where you're meant to be

Right here right now


Follow your own path

Trust in the way you are lead

Enjoy the journey


Take time to reflect

See the true you others see

I made you to be


Be still and be you

Love yourself not for what you do

But for who you are



Permission given

To rest. Yes you. You should rest

You're only human


Stop trying so hard

There are no winners’ prizes

Who wins anyway?


Life is a journey

Take time out to enjoy it

Take time out to rest




In quiet moments where thoughts drift like clouds,  

We find the grace in simply being,  

Rest wraps around our weary bones like a soft shawl;  

Breath slows down as if time itself bows.


Kindness flows through each pulse as a gentle tide, 

Forgiving whispers tease away sharp edges.  

Listen: Your body speaks in rhythms unwound;  

It craves deep love wrapped in comforting stillness.


Creativity blooms when we touch the unspoken;  

Ideas dance at the edge of soft twilight.  

Share them without fear of fierce judgment’s blade,

Nurtured thoughts grow wings in open air.


Relax into your body, let tender dreams ignite.   

To live well is to love, morning, noon and night. 




Lean on me and rest

No need to constantly rush

Life is a journey


Angels surround us

Protecting and inspiring

Resting in love


Live without worry

Praying peace into each day

With God's help




The world moves so fast

Spinning around us, out of control

When do we rest?


Sometimes we need peace

A place to safely retreat

Recuperating


Jesus rested

Took himself away and retained strength

With God we rest


Sometimes we need creativity 

Releasing mental pressure

Relaxing the mind


Creativity releases fear

Connecting to God's energy

Beyond words


Then time comes to speak 

Needing to share emotions 

Safely, honestly 


Rest is essential

Helping us regain our energy 

Breathing deeply


Through every moment

God is with us, loving us 

Do not be afraid



Long held hope

Peaceful feelings released

Holy Stillness


Reaching out to God

He speaks to me, reassures

You are enough


Emotions rising

Depths of darkness dissolve

Light of love shines




My child, do not fear

Have faith to move forward

Life may be unknown

Stretching endlessly in time

But opportunities await

Where doubt is left behind


Maps of our lives

Tell tales of the good

Laughing away tears

Rectifying quixotic hopes

Dressing chameleons

As they jump for joy


Lilac feathers worn by girls

Age life's secret paintings

Quiet blue candlelight

Obscures pearly promises

Cicadas sing in berry bushes

Calming anxious hearts




In the embrace of summer's fading glow,  

The sun dips low, a red brush on the sky,  

Shorter days weave shadows where dreams sow,  

And malaise drapes softly as whispers sigh.  


Crystallized moments held in wild sapphires' gleam,  

Time slows it's dance to a languid refrain;  

Green nights emerge with silver sparks that seem  

To banish worries and erase their stain.  


Yet within this twilight lies an echoing call,   

Of laughter lost amidst the waning light;   

A spectral husk of warmth begins to fall,    

As day concedes to encroaching night.    


So let us treasure these hues before they rest,   

For every sunset says what the heart knows best.




Resting gently on the lonely road,  

Each breath a whisper of stillness,  

Silhouettes of dreams dance in twilight,  

Time pauses as shadows embrace solitude.  


In this quiet corner of existence,   

I lay down burdens unspoken,   

Finding solace where echoes fade,   

And the heart learns to listen to silence.  


Underneath an infinite sky,  

Clouds drape like soft reminders,

To linger just a moment longer;  

The journey can wait a little while.  


On this lonely road we tread softly;    

Each step holds stories half-told,    

Yet here in the hush of restfulness!    

I find strength anew for what lies ahead.



In quiet moments where thoughts drift like clouds,  

We find the grace in simply being,  

Rest wraps around our weary bones like a soft shawl;  

Breath slows down as if time itself bows.


Kindness flows through each pulse as a gentle tide, 

Forgiving whispers tease away sharp edges.  

Listen: Your body speaks in rhythms unwound;  

It craves deep love wrapped in comforting stillness.


Creativity blooms when we touch the unspoken;  

Ideas dance at the edge of soft twilight.  

Share them without fear of fierce judgment’s blade,

Nurtured thoughts grow wings in open air.


Relax into your body, let tender dreams ignite.   

To live well is to love, morning, noon and night. 



In shadows deep, where pain and fear reside  

Exhaustion's whisper grips the weary soul  

Anxiety, a tempest high and wide

Depression's weight takes toll beyond control


Yet in this vale of sorrow’s heavy night 

A flicker stirs within the heart's deep tomb  

Healing shards appear at dawn's first light

Through cracks in silence flows a restful tune 


With hope as compass guiding through despair  

We gather strength from whispers soft and low

Optimism threads through every prayer  

As joy returns with each new step we sow  


Thus pain transforms to love through trials known

In darkness shines the brightest star alone




Long held hope

Peaceful feelings released

Holy Stillness


Reaching out to God

He speaks to me, reassures

You are enough


Emotions rising

Depths of darkness dissolve

Light of love shines



You may feel invisible

Inconsequential

Unremarkable

Totally unmonumental


But you are perfectly you

Designed to be exactly you

In your own hall of fame

Playing your own game


Don't compare

Don't rank yourself

Against who are you measuring?

Use your own yardstick


Are you on a journey?

Where do you want to be?

What do you want everyone to see?

Let yourself be free!


Settle into who you are

Let go of your need for fame

All that really matters is

That those you love know your name




……..


Writing and resources:


A Prayer for Rest

God of rest and peace

Help me find space to be with you today

Discover your acceptance of me

And receive your perfect love

That I may feel peaceful in all situations 

Amen




A momentary liturgy “For those who are exhausted” 

May the joy of spring breezes

Awaken your soul

The whisper of foliage

Calm your body

The peace of starry twilight

Quieten your fears

And the darkness of night

Bless your sleep

Amen



“Resting with God through Lent” course.

I created both daily and weekly resources for people to use as they chose through Lent 2024.  Every day through Lent I created a painting and reflection inspired by a Bible reading about rest; I shared these on social media and was surprised how many people joined in each day and how it touched people.  

I am in the process of getting both the daily and weekly resources published as books, so please watch this space.  If you would like to see all the reflections as posts shared through Lent 2024 then you can find them in my Facebook group Emma LLM Calling



He Leads me Beside Still Waters

I wrote this seven day Bible Study for YouVersion inspired.  “Finding peace, hope and comfort through the words of Psalm 23.”



“Rest Be Pray” 

I created this simple set of prayers, reflections and colouring images as a resource for an online retreat for the YouBelong community



Strength in the Lord

This video was created for the Stronger Conference.  It is a conversation between myself and Laura Neale about how we have found strength in the Lord in the midst of adversity.



Acceptance Podcast

I was invited by Carol of the Raise Podcast to speak about Acceptance.  You can listen to this at episode 6 of the 2nd season or via this link



"Resting in God" Audio Reflection 

I wrote this reflection for Premier Digital during the pandemic, when I was first dealing with a new diagnosis of Long Covid.  



Resting is a Blessing

This article was written in 2022 and I honestly don't know where it was published or shared, but this is the text:

Resting is a Blessing


“Before catching Covid I thought I knew how to rest, half an hour on the sofa between meetings catching up on emails and messages definitely counted as rest.  I had heard rumours of people who totally switched off every day, in the Jesus way, but I honestly couldn't get my head around that.  I knew I was "probably" too busy balancing my pioneering and parish ministries with motherhood, but I tried hard to take a quiet day several times a year.


Even being in hospital with Covid didn't really slow me down, in fact I felt such joy at surviving that I ignored the advice to rest; I pushed myself far beyond my limits.  Perhaps that was a contributor to developing Long Covid, perhaps it wasn't; but my advice to everyone now is "rest as much as possible or your body will force you to rest".


I've been living with Long Covid for over a year now and resting is my dominant state.  I rest physically for 20 hours in every day; feet up, reclined, body supported rest.  I can sit up for 4 hours a day most days, some days that isn't possible.  This is a huge improvement on six months ago when I was lucky to sit up for two hours.


I am lucky that my need to rest is predominantly physical rather than cognitive, though I need to completely rest for at least 10 hours a day.  I know people who have Long Covid, ME or other fatigue conditions who can't read, write, talk or create whilst resting most of the day. So I'll say it again, I'm lucky.


It is that prayer of thanks which has brought me to a place of accepting my need to rest. In fact I feel blessed in my rest.


Resting has given me time and space to be with God in prayer and creativity; I pray and paint for hours every day.  I know what you're thinking, painting is not resting; but I paint on my iPad whilst laying on the sofa or resting in bed.  


This ability to paint digitally was suggested to me a few months after recovering from Covid, when I was getting frustrated at not being able to paint physically.  Within a month of learning how to paint digitally I started painting whilst praying each morning and now I spend about 8 hours every day painting, praying and writing poetry whilst I rest.  I feel closer to God than I ever have, I am calmer than I've even been, my creativity has been inspired in ways I never imagined.  But more than that, perhaps unsurprisingly, this new found rest, creativity and prayer has become a ministry in three ways:

  1. I rest and I model the importance of rest.  One of my most used phrases is "Jesus took time to rest so you should as well".  Resting is counter cultural and yet an essential part of life.  Rest is not something we should give into, but something we should embrace positively.

  2. I share my paintings, poems, thoughts and prayers online as soon as I create them.  In response, every single day, I receive messages from people asking for prayers, telling their stories or sharing their own creativity, I am so blessed to be trusted with this.

  3. I pray all the time and people know they can ask me to pray. I get about 20 prayer requests every day and I am blessed to be able to have the space and time to pray for people and situations.


I never thought that needing to be horizontal for most of the day could be anything but frustrating, but I've been blessed with a ministry of creativity in rest which encourages others to value rest in their own lives.”



Rest: a poem as a prayer

This very simple poem was written as a prayer more than anything.  I also created a black and white doodle image of the word “rest” and I shared the creation of this as a video over myself reading the poem.



……..


And finally… In development:

The following resources about rest are in various stages of publication.


“Resting with God through Lent” weekly and daily resources.  The weekly resource will be available free of charge, as a download on my website, for Lent 2025.  The daily resource is due for publication as a book by Lent 2026.


“Rest is Holy” Chapter about how rest is a key part of my creative ministry.  This will be part of the “Our Disability Theologies: Body-Minds and God-Talk’ anthologies” which will be published in 2026.




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