Pastor's Corner

21 Jun
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Mid-Week Challenge

Vacation!  That is a term everyone likes to hear.  We just need to get away and get a little rest.  Rest, what exactly does that mean? A few days into the vacation I have learned that I have a hard time resting.  I have no problem sleeping, I love to sleep, but I struggle with resting.  I feel like I have to be doing something productive.  Right now my mind is racing on what to do when I finish working on the newsletter.  My family is off enjoying the beach but that does not appeal to me.  I love being with them, but I hate the sand, the heat, the bugs and the ocean. But we are here to rest, right?  So when I get back home and say that I am tried the response is “well, that’s your fault, you should have rested more.”  And that is true, but how do you do that?  I discovered a great article that discusses this dichotomy that a lot of people struggle with.  How do we really rest when it is time to do so?      

In her article How Embracing Rest Can Change Your Life: 8 big truths that the Bible teaches us about slowing down, author Bonnie Gray pinpoints 8 areas that many of us struggle with when it comes to rest.  https://relevantmagazine.com/article/what-the-bible-says-about-rest/

A couple that spoke to me:

1. Rest is simply being honest about your limitations and Jesus ability.

In Matthew 11:28 He tells us:  “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden … and I will give you rest for your souls.”  He did not say, “When you get in a better mood or happy, cheerful and optimistic, then you can come get some rest.” No, Jesus said come how you are and I will provide for your needs.  

2. Rest goes against our culture

We often feel like our culture judges us for taking a break.  Theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “If I were allowed to prescribe just one remedy for all the ills of the modern world, I would prescribe silence.”  We get so wrapped up in what is going on all around us that even when we “rest” our minds remain busy and miss what God has for us.  It is impractical to move off like a monk but we have to take small moments of rest and pull away from the routine. Even Jesus told His disciples to leave and escape the masses by boat, even though needs were still unmet!

God gives us these examples in Scripture to let us know that our feelings are normal but also as a warning that too much stressing leads to burnout and despair.  I guess the message is rest means something different to each person but is just as important.  Find your true rest in Jesus and embrace the day that is before you.  Schedule time to relax and then do just that.  As foreign as doing nothing might seem, it might just save your life.  I’m headed out to join my family and put my toes in the sand.  Pray for me! J

Serving the Savior

Bro. Jonathan

By: Pastor Jonathan

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