For All Who Need Rest

One of my husband’s favorite places that we’ve visited is Kentucky. Among other things, he loved the dark walls of trees huddling together and stretching up into the sky and out over the roads. The thrill of the unknown and the whisper of adrenaline- pumping adventure captivates his wild heart that is so often suffocated under the weight of responsibility, propriety, and protocol. He and I are opposite in nearly every way, so it should come as no surprise that I prefer the vast, open, fields in northeastern Colorado.  I am no doubt more influenced by the nostalgia of growing up in that area than Jon is, but even beyond the comfort of familiarity, I’ve come to relish the simplicity and the stillness that characterize the endless sea of cream, sage, and auburn nestled against the wide expanse of blue. There, a person has space to think, to listen, to feel, to breathe, and to be. Such is the delight of an introvert.  

Simple stillness is a rest that my parched spirit craves in the hustle and emotional upheaval of juggling 3 part time jobs, ministry, household duties, marriage, infertility, health, friendships, and home improvement projects. Deep down, I know I erroneously view rest as a treat and not as a necessary staple. It’s so easy in our culture to buy into the lie that busyness makes us valuable, desirable, or admirable and that taking time to refresh and recharge is selfish. Even in church culture, we can start to overemphasize doing and serving over knowing and enjoying. And besides, busyness is one way to numb the pain in our hearts. Jesus has been echoing his gentle correction of Martha to me over and over in recent months: “Sharayah, Sharayah, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10:41b, 42).  

The rest God calls us to and has provided for us is deeper than a catnap on a Sunday afternoon. It is a profound soul rest that comes from knowing the end of the story and from knowing and trusting the author of that story. It is a heart at ease because it knows it is safe in the hands of the One who rescued it from the worst thing that could ever happen- separation from Love and Goodness Himself for eternity. It is a quiet mind that can remain unshaken by circumstances because it is anchored in submission to its unchanging Creator instead of enslaved to unpredictable waves of feelings.  

However, so many believers (I am one of the worst offenders) don’t live in that rest. We allow the distractions and disillusionment of a painful and impossibly fast-paced earthly life to cloud out what we know to be true. We yield to the whims of our emotions (which make a tyrant of a boss - check out the first sermon in The Crossing’s latest series for more on this) instead of to our gentle, all-knowing, and loving Lord. As we fix our eyes on the white-capped rapids of our circumstances and obey the internal tumult they produce, we naturally drift toward them and away from the still waters of Jesus’s presence.  

Jesus beckons, “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” (Mt. 11:28-30).  

You and I need to intentionally slow down enough to:

•          remember Jesus and come to Him,
•          worship our Creator,
•          nourish our souls with God’s Word, 
•          express to God both our gratefulness and our desires, 
•          allow Him to restore us,
•          start anew through confession (agreeing with God about our sin),
•          express the creativity He placed within us, and
•          just be who He made us to be.  

We also need to make a practice of regular stopping:

•          Stop striving.  
•          Stop powering through.  
•          Stop depriving ourselves of the good part. Stop giving our emotions free reign and control over our behavior.
•          Stop believing the lie that we can still enjoy the deep soul rest God has provided without resting from the demands of our never-ending to-do lists and without dealing with the junk in our hearts.  

      The abundant life is not one that is stuffed to the painfully distended brim with activity but one that in all aspects, whether regarding rest or work, looks to and bends to Jesus.  

      I haven’t mastered this by any means, but I’m learning. Like many, I have the knowledge, but working it out in my life is not always so easy. Nevertheless, God keeps reminding me that there is too much at stake not to press forward in this area. He gave the nation of Israel the Sabbath command not to control them, to suppress them, to bore them, or to punish them, but as a gift of margin to fill a real need that he had placed within them as a reflection of His own character (God does not tire, but still He rested on the seventh day after creation). Similarly, He has given you and I the spiritual discipline of rest not as one more thing we have to do to please him, but as a gift to help us discover the rich life He modeled for us and died to give us. When we choose to cultivate internal rest and to create periods for external rest, we choose to be like Him.  

            Not only this, but a heart that is not at rest because it is burnt out or harboring unresolved issues bleeds onto everyone closest to it. Our relationships matter too much to neglect this area. Whether we like it or not, our relationships with God and with all those around us are seriously affected by whether or not we are intentionally resting in Christ.  As we make the time to recharge in His presence, as we choose to follow Him alone, and as we allow Him to remove the weeds that have taken root inside us, we will experience His peaceful rest that surpasses all understanding both within our hearts and in our relationships, regardless of what life throws at us. 

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