Learning to Rest

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Matthew 11:28-30

I’ve spent years reading this passage. I understand the concept of Christ’s yoke, of being yoked with Him so He carries the weight of this life.

But, I’ve yet to learn to truly rest.

I’ve spent the better part of the last two decades striving. Over fifteen years ago, my world collapsed around me with an unexpected divorce. I found myself a single mom of three, spinning every plate known to man. Every aspect of our lives rested on my shoulders. I was the sole decision maker. I was the chauffeur for every event. I was the cheerleader on the sidelines. I was the Disney parent. I was the disciplinarian. I was the counselor and the friend.

I always thought I would be the Pinterest mom–you know the one that was homeroom mom, had fresh cookies waiting after school, lots of fun craft activities, perfectly balanced meals each evening around a dinner table. Sadly, our lives looked very little like that Pinterest picture in my mind.

Instead, I was too busy trying to be the provider for my family. I was responsible for earning a living, figuring out how to make ends meet month after month. And, if you’ve never been a single parent, I’ll let you in on a secret: being the sole provider in this culture is tough! Although we never lacked any necessities, we certainly didn’t have anything extra. I was blessed to live in my Grandpa’s house without rent/mortgage which made our lives a whole lot easier. I can’t imagine if I’d been trying to pay for housing.

Over the last few years, I’ve found myself really struggling with the concept of rest as described in Matthew 11. You see, even since getting married, I have continued to strive. It’s been great to not be the only income, but I’ve continued to carry the burden of providing for my family. I’ve never felt I could let go of my income because I was working toward a future.

The last two years, God has been working on my heart, reminding me He is the provider–-not me. It took over a year for me to finally let go and walk away from my job, to choose to get my security from Him and not a paycheck. These last six months have been a journey as I have learned that slowing my body does not necessarily mean learning to rest. I’ve even made the comment that though my activities have slowed, I have been unable to slow my mind, to bring my mind back to that place of focusing on Him.

It has been quite a journey.

Last week, my husband and I took a trip–just the two of us. It was a much needed opportunity to escape the world and focus on God and each other. We used the time to set goals and plan our next quarter, to share our hopes and dreams.

I learned some incredible lessons:

I love the sun and water. I was raised loving the water, and it is simply ingrained within me. There is something about the feel of the sun on my face and the sound of the waves that simply slows my mind and body. It’s a place where I sense God’s presence.

Removing life’s distractions is key. Even though we had limited access to the internet, being able to escape the constant messages from the phone and other electronics was life-giving.

I enjoy reading. I read The Relentless Elimination of Hurry in a matter of a couple of days. I cannot recommend highly enough!! John Mark Comer takes the reader on a journey through the spiritual disciplines and a pursuit of slowing down to enjoy embrace the life God intended for each of us. I know our lives will change now that we are home. It won’t be easy, but it is something God is calling us to.

My heart yearns for a slower pace. God designed us to slow down and rest. Christ showed us how to live a life of communing with God. Unfortunately, in this culture of more is better, we have lost ourselves. We have lost the life God created us for.

My heart yearns for more of God. I have had times of deep communion with God, and I’ve had times of a superficial relationship with Him. I want intimacy!

As we return to reality, I am finding it much harder to implement the lessons I have learned. I thought ridding myself of distractions and prioritizing God would be easy.

It’s not.

But is it worth it? Absolutely! I know the life of rest and beauty for which He created me is in this journey. It’s in the journey of eliminating electronics that distract me. It’s in the journey of honoring the Sabbath. It’s in the journey of taking time for silence and solitude. It’s in the journey of relentlessly eliminating hurry.

Does the journey to finding rest sound intriguing? If so, I’d love to have you join me as we dig into finding rest!