Counterculture: Rest

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ‭Matthew‬ 28:11 NLT

In my last blog I shared "Counterculture:The Importance of Celebrating Others" and I want to continue with this idea of counterculture by talking about rest. In our culture everything is fast-paced, and we constantly have advertisements, movies, and music telling us to get ahead we must constantly be on-the-go. We're told to be the best we must always be at the top of our game, and we dare never rest lest we allow someone else to get ahead.

Matthew 28:11 gets quoted so often I think we tend to dismiss taking some time to really think about the gift God is offering us in our busy, non-stop, "go-go-go" lives. Have you grown weary? Do you have some heavy burdens weighing on your shoulders? Is life overwhelming right now? Are you caught up in the lie that if you don't keep up with others that you will somehow lose?

God didn't intend for us to burn our candle at both ends until there was nothing left for us to give.

Recently, God spoke to me about taking time to REST, or otherwise have a day of Sabbath. I like to get through a day and feel like I've accomplished something other than relaxation as I'm sure many of us do. I found myself striving to achieve multiple things as I went through every day of the week and I quickly found that I was getting burned out. It was then that I realized that no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I accomplish, I can never do it all on my own.

The Lord says, "Come to me." He didn't say, "Run as fast as you can, achieve everything in your strength, and keep going until there is nothing left in you." He said, "Come to me...and I will give you rest". Trying to bear your burdens on your own will wear you out quickly, but going to the Lord in prayer will give you the rest and strength you need to keep going.

Think about a time when you were on your feet all day and you finally got home and got to sit in a chair for the first time in hours. Your back aches, your feet are sore, and your entire body seems to be aching in one way or another. When you finally get to sit down, the feeling of relief floods over you and pressure releases. That's what it is like when instead of bearing all the weight of heavy burdens ourselves, we go to God.

I'm not suggesting that there will no longer be burdens that we carry, but it will ease the pressure. God says He will give us rest. When we sleep, we wake up ready for a new day. In the same way, God offers to give us the rest we need to keep going.