My goodness,
life is noisy. Traffic and television,
activities and workdays, relationships and worries in our heads that we can’t
quite shut off. If we aren’t careful,
the noise can become our normal and we can completely forget the wonder of
quiet, the encouragement of life-giving relationships, the necessity of rest.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go
off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going
that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where
they could be alone.” Mark 6:31-32
The very
first impulse of Jesus when life got too busy, was to pull away to rest. It is
interesting that our reaction to an overfull calendar is to go longer and
harder and faster, trying to fit more things into the same amount of time. Have you ever had days, like the disciples, and
like me, when you don’t even have time to eat?
(Just for fun, I checked this out.
Recent stats indicate that the average North American family eats one in
every five meals in their car and spends as much on fast food as on groceries.)
We are busy. We are stressed. We are tired.
Now it is
important to note that there can be seasons to run and seasons to rest. If all you do is run, God wants to meet you and
restore you but you need to turn off the noise and slow down. If resting is your specialty and you are more
spectator than participator, friend get back in the race. We rest awhile, not forever. There are tasks
God has uniquely gifted you to do. Your
voice and testimony matters, and your fear, or age, or feeling of inadequacy does
not. Your sense of purpose may be
restored by more action, not less.
This is the
key: ‘We must learn to value the hidden
life.’
Those were
the words from a pastor that turned my heart toward purposeful change. To those
of you with little ones charging through the house with an inexhaustible supply
of energy, I salute you. You are in the
season of relentless service, and real rest can be difficult to find. My ‘hidden life’ at the time, was hard to
tend. I longed for a deeply rooted and
well-watered faith that would keep me solid and steady when everything else was
not. I still do. I have found that deep faith grows not only
from overcoming huge obstacles, but more from simply walking with Jesus one
sacred step at a time.
Our driven,
fast-paced culture wants us to believe that we will produce more if we do
more. Scripture teaches that we will
produce more if we rest more in Christ (John 15:5). It is only here that we discover who Jesus
is, and who we are because of Him. That
truth changes everything about how we value and spend our days.
Be
unapologetic about getting a good night’s sleep, find times to walk, read and
pray. Most importantly, rest
awhile. Restore your soul. The quiet morning works for me. It may be that your work commute, gym time,
fishing pole, or garden provides that place for you.
“Since Jesus places a high priority on rest, you can know that you’ve got exit ramps all along your journey. Look for them. They’re invitations and provisions directly from him. He knows what will fill your soul, and He invites you to rest in Him, to catch your breath, to find direction, and to gain fresh perspective when you need one.” (Susie Larson, Your Sacred Yes)
I took one of those ‘exit ramps’ recently to Asheville, North Carolina and was refreshed with family time and sweet rest in my brother’s mountain home. It is a place of ridiculous beauty. I shamelessly took advantage of their hospitality. I drank lattes, ate yummy, yummy things and plunked my weary self on their balcony to let my soul rest up.
Many of us find summer to be a time for rest from work and a change of pace. I pray that it will be that for you. Also, that it will be a time for you to deepen your walk with the Lord and to find new strength at the feet of Christ. If you find yourself weary today, hear the tender invitation of Jesus to come away to a quiet place and rest awhile.
The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
