Every Sunday at Princeton UMC, we begin the service by repeating “I am enough because God is enough.” It may not seem like it but in the capitalist and success-driven world we live in, this is a radical statement.
Society is full of messages that we are not enough as we are. From weight loss commercials and beauty products to standardized testing and grind culture, we are constantly made to feel that success is just out of our reach. Writer and artist Tricia Hersey has dedicated her life and career to combating this messaging. She began The Nap Ministry as a form of resistance to a society devaluing the inherent sacredness of our souls and bodies. The website for The Nap Ministry states “We believe our bodies are portals. They are sites of liberation, knowledge, and invention that are waiting to be reclaimed and awakened by the beautiful interruptions of brutal systems that sleep and dreaming provide.” This is more than just an opinion for Hersey; it is a movement.
The idea of rest as resistance is not new. It can be found time and again in the history of oppressed people. Hersey (2022) says in her book, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto:
The rest movement is not a trend and is instead the ancient work of liberation.
To frame rest as something Black people are finally reclaiming is to erase the history of so many of my Ancestors and those living today who have consistently seen rest as an important part of living and resistance. (p. 34).
For many, rest has been a way of not just surviving but actively rejecting the oppressive systems that see them as less than human.
It is easy in today’s world to see rest as a luxury or reward but this is in direct contrast to the message of enoughness that we recite each Sunday morning. Just by existing as beloved children of God, we are worthy of rest. In her book, Hersey acknowledges that a lot of people see this as easier said than done. She advises, “You can [find] ten minutes at your desk, thirty minutes of weekend napping, or one minute of resting your eyes. Keep pondering and making space for the time to detox from technology…All these things are a form of resistance” (p. 30).
Resisting grind culture to make room for rest does not come naturally for a lot of us. It goes against the very systems that raised us. Start small. Take a few minutes every day to sit outside or close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Remember there is nothing you can do to diminish your worthiness. You are enough.
