Be At Rest ~ A Be-Attitude of the Christian Walk

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I woke up at my usual 5:30 am. I got up, took a nice long bath, and got ready for church. Then  poured my coffee and sat down in my big comfy chair to wait for everyone else.  The tears began. My heart prayed, “Lord, I am so tired.” The response I got was, “Come unto me all you who are weary.” “Does that mean get up and go to church?” I wrestled with this for a while, until the next prompting came, “Be still.” 

I pulled my fluffy blanket over me, snuggled my dog, and closed my eyes. 

Later, when my husband came into the living room, I told him I was too tired to go anywhere. He said, “Can I get you anything? Just stay there. You deserve rest.”

The day before, we said our final goodbyes to my mom. The service was beautiful. We had a nice family time, barbecuing, sitting in the sunshine, and watching football. The day was like an exclamation point on a really long sentence. I didn’t realize how long I had been holding my breath, waiting for the closure of an exhausting season. 

I have a confession to make. In my life, I haven’t taken rest seriously. I’ve viewed it as a luxury I would get to enjoy at some point in my life when I wasn’t so busy. If burning out for Jesus was a spiritual gift, it was mine. 

However, that is not God’s plan for us. It is not His will for us to burn so brightly that we overheat and become useless.

Rest Is Not a Luxury.

Rest is not a luxury. It is not something we earn or deserve. It is the fourth commandment (Exodus 20) Resting is obedience. It is an example given to us by the Creator of the universe. 

The God who never sleeps or slumbers took time to rest after six days of creation. Jesus went into the wilderness to rest. Scholars have noted over 400 passages related to rest in Scripture. 

If I want to be like Jesus, why is the concept of rest so hard for me to grasp?

There is no sin in hard work. In fact, Scripture says if a man doesn’t work, neither shall he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) But our society has programmed us to believe we can do it all. We tend to believe our accomplishments are directly tied to our worth as human beings. 

He Does Not Call Us to Do “All Things.”

We are trained to push through when we need to stop, be still, and rest. We even misquote Scripture in our quest to accomplish more. “I can do all things through Christ” is a truth we cannot deny— when we understand it in context. He does not call us to do “all things.” So, when we push ourselves—or others—beyond what we should, using that passage, we are misusing God’s Word. 

Sit at the Feet of Jesus

“What is the one thing that can make the greatest difference in your life this next year?” The question was posed by our pastor. I wanted to be like one of my fifth graders and shoot my hand in the air and shout, “Jesus,” because Jesus is always the right answer.

Of course, Jesus was the right answer. But it was in the context of rest. “The most impactful New Year’s resolution you can make is to sit at the feet of Jesus more.” We were studying through the Gospel of Luke and just happened at chapter ten. Jesus entered the home of Mary and Martha. Martha wanted everything to be perfect for her guests (raise your hand if this is you). She was busy practicing hospitality. Her sister sat at the feet of Jesus, drinking in His words. 

Martha was a little put off that her sister wasn’t helping and tattled to Jesus. And in His infinite gentleness and wisdom, He said, “Mary has chosen better.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Make a Plan

I must admit, I can rest better if the house is clean, the dishes are done, my ‘to do’ list is complete, or at least is full check marks. But in my quest for rest, I want to choose “the better”.

The Lord is showing me through His Word and His creation how to release my busyness, my worries and expectations, sit at His feet and receive grace and rest. 

As human beings, if we don’t have a plan for something, it doesn’t happen. If we plan for rest, we are less likely to find ourselves depleted–mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 

We do not need to wait for retirement to rest; it needs to be part of our daily routine now. 

Small Steps For Rest

If you are like me, you are probably saying, “yeah, right… I would love a little rest.” So, I encourage you to start with small steps. Sit for five minutes listening to the birds sing. Take a ten-minute walk. Release things that you don’t need to carry. Say no to things that just add to your busyness. Remember, God wants us to use our gifts to serve Him by serving others, but we don’t have to do it all. He does not need or want us to try to do it all. 

The Art of Rest

In my quest for rest, I went searching for a good book. I thought, if I were to write a book about rest, it would be called “The Art of Rest.” So, I Googled the title, and sure enough someone already had done the work. It’s a good one. In fact, I cleaned my whole house and did yard work while I was listening to it. And then I sat down and took a nap. I hope you see the irony here, but I highly recommend the book (link below). Sadly, we have to retrain our brains to grasp the necessity and concept of true rest. 

Early in our marriage, my husband and I joked about how we measured the success of our days. My measure was how much I accomplished. His was how much fun he had. Now, after almost forty years of marriage, we are a little more balanced in our accomplishments and fun. He has learned that it is fun to accomplish stuff, and I have learned it is an accomplishment to have fun. 

I guess in all I have lamented and discussed here, the takeaway is simple: don’t put off rest; make it a priority and plan for it. As I was writing, a friend texted me a quote. It is third hand, so I am not sure where to give credit, but it is worth noting.

“Rest is not the reward for work finished; it’s the requirement for work we have yet to do.”

Questions to Ponder:

What does sitting at the feet of Jesus look like to you? 

Is there something you can set aside to sit at the feet of Jesus?

What do you think the outcome of more time at Jesus’ feet would be?

Is there a symbol that can be a reminder for you to rest? (like the birds singing)

Worship With Me:

Find Me at the Feet of Jesus by Christy Nockels 

Blessed Assurance – Guy Penrod – I especially like the phrase “Perfect submission, all is at rest. I in my Savior am happy and blessed.” Ponder that in a moment of rest.

My Prayer for You Today:

Heavenly Father, please show us how to rest in you. Help us to be obedient in rest. Give us insight and wisdom in choices we make and work we do. Open our eyes to the benefits of rest and sitting at your feet. In Your Precious Name, Amen

For Further Reading:

The Art of Rest by Adam Mabry – I cannot say enough good about this book. I have already listened through it two times and plan to listen a couple more. There is such practical and rich wisdom contained in this easy to read and understand book. 

The Pursuit of Holy Leisure by Cara Ray – This book is written by a dear friend. I had the opportunity to beta read it for her. It is life changing. Have you ever been so thirsty you didn’t realize how much you needed water until you started drinking? That is how I feel about Cara’s book. It is like living water for your dry and parched soul. She invites you to sit with Jesus in the “cool of the day” and enjoy His presence. (Release date is March 17^th – preorders available now)