Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 Matthew 11:28-30

“...and you will find rest for your souls.” For most of my life I could get by with physical rest. Rest that would give me the ability to continue on with my days. To accomplish the things that need to be done, and to sustain me for the next 12 or so hours. Even on my most dramatic days, sleep was typically sufficient. The last couple of years, this has no longer been the case. Physical rest has remained just as important, but it doesn’t meet the depths of my needs like it once did. 

This past couple of years, I have found myself needing more than just a physical rest. I found myself searching for a type of rest that goes beyond a kidless beach vacation and endless naps. It’s as if my soul was craving a type of rest that the world couldn’t give me. As a believer, I know where to find this rest. I know it can only be found in Jesus, yet I can still be resistant. I know what it takes to seek intimacy with the Lord, yet my selfish desires still get the best of me. The distractions of the world consume me, and they stand in the way of my peace.

This verse tells us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.” To have the invitation to, “Take my yoke upon you.” To walk with Jesus, who is gentle and lowly. To learn from Him, sit with him, abide with Him, and to rest in Him. But it is only when we realize that our souls are restless and in need of rest that we will accept this invitation.

One of my husbands favorite books is, “The Ragamuffin Gospel,” by Brennan Manning and at the beginning of the book he says that he wrote his book to a specific audience. He wrote it for, “The bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out. It is for the sorely burdened who are still shifting the heavy suitcase from one hand to the other. It is for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don’t have it altogether. It is for inconsistent, unsteady disciples whose cheese is falling off their cracker. It is for poor, weak, sinful men and women with hereditary faults and limited talents. It is for earthen vessels who shuffle along on feet of clay. It is for the bent and the bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God. It is for smart people who know they are stupid and honest disciples who admit they are scalawags. The Ragamuffin Gospel is for anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Way.” This is exactly who Jesus wrote this passage to as well. For all who are weary, who are burdened. Who are searching for a place to rest your soul. Seek Him. He’s there, waiting for you. He always has been. And may you find the rest your soul has been longing for.