Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.”  Matthew 11:28-30

My wife and I just returned from a weekend away in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary.  Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, Kim and I enjoyed some great down time together.  We believe that this type of investment in our relationship is why we just celebrated 25 years together.  This time away provided us with a focused time to connect and rest.

Life is busy for all of us, but it is God’s desire that we find time to rest.  Times of rest give us the opportunity to reflect on where we are and bring life back into proper perspective.  Times of rest provide the setting to nurture and grow relationships.  All of this happens with those around us and with God.  Sure, weekends away are great, but that can’t happen all the time.  Even in the midst of our busy lives, God can bring us to times of rest.

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”  Mark 6:31

I’m sure that life in the Middle East in the first century was not lived at the pace we live at today.  However, when you consider that Jesus called His followers of that day to a time of rest, it should challenge us all the more to do the same.  In fact, this time of rest is so important that it even made God’s Top Ten list.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  Exodus 20:8-11

So, how do you, in the midst of day-to-day life, take time to rest?  How do you create white space in your overcrowded schedule to reflect?  How do you slow down long enough to connect with those you love and with the God who loves you?

You just do.  You prioritize your time.  You take control of your schedule.  You plan date nights with your spouse and down time with your kids.  You make time to play on Saturday and nap on Sunday.

And more than anything, you come aside to rest with your Creator every day.  This is the only way I know how to keep my life on track in the midst of all that must be done.