Where do you go for real rest? Are you able to find complete and total relaxation anywhere?

I have been spending some time on the beach in the last few weeks, and my observation is that it can be hard to rest. Folks have waited an entire year for this one week of vacation on the Outer Banks. They drive for hours and hours to get here, unload the car, run out for groceries, plan meals, set up highchairs and beds, etc. Then the week starts and meals have to be executed, chairs, toys, and umbrellas have to be schlepped across the hot sand for a few hours each day of not sitting because the little ones want to explore. Then dinner and bath time take up the evening and it all starts again the next day.

I have been on vacations that were so busy, I needed a vacation from my vacation when I got home. Have you ever felt that way?

Maybe this is why we say “Rest In Peace” when someone dies. Death may bring the only real rest to our busy lives!

Jesus wants us to know that in him, we can find true rest. This is a kind of mental rest that we crave when we have burned out on too much worldly activity. Work, the constant pursuit of wealth, the distracting and distressing cacophony of social media, the internal pressure to do better, all take a toll on us. We can even get burned out on religion. My denomination is in the process of an historic schism, and I am here to tell you that we are all burned out with the arguing, name-calling, and lack of focus on what really matters. I confess that I am really, really tired.

Jesus calls us to rest.

In him we can re-learn what really matters and learn the “unforced rhythms of grace.” When we walk and work with Jesus, he helps to carry the burden and promises that we won’t have to bear too much.

Matthew 11 (The Message)

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

If you are tired, worn out, and burned out, go to Jesus. Get away for an hour and recover your life! Meditation on God’s promises can be like a week of “vacation” for your soul. When you sit quietly in God’s presence, he will teach you to live lightly.

The Unforced Rhythm of Grace by Michelle Robertson