“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 at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Rest has been such a difficult word for me to grasp lately and I am still continuing to wrestle with the correct meaning of the word.
During our time in Ethiopia, we were called to rest. We were in a spiritually saturated place, had a room to ourselves, were connected into a church, yet I couldn’t seem to find rest. In fact, I didn’t sleep nearly at all most of the month. My body and mind felt like it was at war with itself while everyone was finding the rest they needed. I found that we barely did anything and often found ourselves at home. My mind didn’t understand this thought of doing nothing, it didn’t want to sit still.
How can we choose to rest when we could be out creating a community?
I am a person who likes to keep moving. I’m a doer and helper. I don’t like to sit still. When we were called to rest and seek the presence of God, everyone saw that as doing nothing and seeking him at home. However, the way I find rest in the presence of God is through nature: being outside, going hiking, taking a walk, exploring, DOING. I find God in little moments with people and community. I tend to like taking people along on my journeys through nature, especially in a foreign country, however I often felt stuck in the house that never heard my cries.
It was a month of wondering why we were even there and what our true purpose was this month. If this month was supposed to be restful, why do I not feel rested?
What I have found for myself about rest is this: Rest can look like anything with God in it!
When I am at home, I find rest by walking through the woods and speaking to God. That’s where I find I hear Him the most. I’m always walking, yet when I get back, I am more than ready to take on the day and week. I also find rest when I’m driving and listing to worship. I’m still being productive and going somewhere, but I find that little bit of rest by seeking Him through it.
On the Race, I have found rest by hiking up a mountain or getting outside in the fresh air, or even looking up at the stars at night. I’ve found rest as I’ve talked to my fellow teammates or as I meet someone from that culture. I’ve rested by taking a walk on a sandy beach with worship music playing from my phone. I‘ve even found rest as I am cleaning a messy kitchen or area.
However, I have also found these things to not be so restful and sometimes stressful. One thing that makes them restful is because of the heart behind it. When my heart is set on God in my daily life, anything can be restful because God is my rest. God created us each uniquely in which we would each find rest in different ways; it’s finding who is at the center.
Each week we have a Sabbath day of rest in which we take from our busy days to rest in the presence of God. However, during this time we often figure out all the things we would like to do during our day. We go visit a museum, take a hike, visit a friend, write a blog, eat ice cream, play a game, etc. Where do we find rest in all this? Well, we find rest by finding God in it all. Rest can look like Joy. Rest can look like doing something crazy. Rest is with God.
That’s why Jesus says for us to come to Him then He will give us rest. He just wants us to come in any way, shape, or form. Just come and be in the presence of our Father.
How do you find rest in each part of your daily lives?
Many Blessings,
Laura Leigh Armstrong
