Rest
Each morning I have about a 20-25 minute drive to the office. I have different ways of passing the time. Sometimes I enjoy listening to podcasts and catching up on my favorite sports teams. Other times I really enjoy listening and singing along to worship music. Another way I pass the time is by listening to audiobooks. Right now I am in finishing up the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
In the book he addresses the hurried world we live in, along with how technology plays a role. He talks about the stress we all feel from the hurry we live our lives in. So what is the answer to the hurried lifestyle? How about living life the way Jesus lived?
Jesus told us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He also said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
What is this full life Jesus is talking about? Is it really stopping once a week to worship for a few hours that day and then running back to our non stop hurried lifestyle? Jesus said we could have rest if we take his yoke, meaning we submit to him. One point the author makes in this book is that Jesus didn’t come and give us a bunch of rules to follow. He instead gave us a lifestyle to emulate. You know what was a big part of that lifestyle? Rest.
Just take a minute and look throughout the Gospels at how much Jesus would rest. He made sure that there was time for him to spend alone with God. He observed the sabbath, and not because it was a rule to follow but because it was what was needed. Think about that for a minute. The God of the universe needed rest. But we already knew that didn’t we? Just go back to Genesis and we see that after God had created this world we call home He rested. Yet, how often do we make excuses that we don’t have time to rest? We have another meeting to attend, one more paper to write, one more email to answer, one more text to reply to. We have to learn to rest. If the God of the universe needs rest I think it is important for us as well.
Coming from a guy who is an extreme extrovert, an enneagram 7, and someone who suffers from extreme FOMO (fear of missing out) this is not something that is easy for me to put into practice. However, I’ve learned it is something I have to try to put into practice. If it was important to Jesus it should be important to me. It’s not a rule we have to follow but it is something that is for our benefit. So will you join me in learning how to rest like our Savior did?
Joel Harper
