Vitamin Rest

"Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

As a card-carrying member of Strivers Anonymous, I encounter Jesus's invitation with a mixture of hunger and hesitancy. On one hand, rest represents the deepest desire of my heart. But on the other, it infers that my current endeavors must cease. No matter how miserable I feel, my struggle for perfection, productivity, or praise has embedded itself so deeply into my identity that releasing it seems somehow unwise.

On the surface, I respond to the call He proclaims. But in reality, I know the stubbornness of my own soul. To combat my selfish desire to retain control, I've compiled a list of the desirable aspects of His rest. I plan to return to it often, any time I feel tempted to carry my burdens alone. I pray it ignites a deep desire to let go, for myself and any others who feel too prone to strive.

1. His rest exceeds mine.
Too often, I reach the end of an exhausting day, collapse into bed, and awaken the next morning with the same persistent fatigue. Jesus offers a rest that reaches beyond my body and renews my soul. (Matthew 11:29) I may manipulate my mind into submission with self-help or deep breathing, but nothing erases my worry except removing it entirely from my control. Much like extra cargo that threatens to sink a ship, only offloading the source of the strain can bring real relief. It takes a mighty hand to do this - a hand with strength far beyond mine. Only by accepting Jesus's rest can I attain the lasting renewal I crave.

2. His rest requires action.
Strivers like me often spurn utter stillness. We wholeheartedly repent and embrace our need of His rest, but we've also been wired for action! After the realization that our own works can't save us (REFERENCE) comes the fear that holiness might mean endless empty days, void of passion or purpose. On the contrary! Receiving Jesus's rest requires active participation. He instructs us to come, take, learn, and find. 

"Come to Me," He invites, and this "coming" continues every moment from our initial surrender and on. We orient ourselves toward Him, remain under His authority, seek His wisdom and will, attach ourselves to His people and submit to His word. These activities cannot save us, but they become a delightful expression of our salvation as we rest and rejoice in His presence.

"Take My yoke," He commands, and although the taking merely means shuffling under His protective, sovereign plan, it still requires a courageous choice. We cannot maintain our own yoke as well as His. We must step away from our own lists, expectations and plans in order to embrace His better ones. Taking His yoke provides a joyful, continuous response to His relentless compassion.

"Learn from Me," He says, and with these three words, provides both permission and commission to soak in His presence, study His habits and watch all His ways. While we live under His yoke, He invites our spirits to pursue the inexhaustible study of His love. Eternity, time, history, nature, and His Word all exhibit His praise. Learning from Christ provides both invigoration and rest, challenge and renewal to the curious minds He has designed.

"You will find rest for your souls," Jesus proclaims, His words pregnant with prophecy and promise. Under His yoke, the discovery of soul-rest becomes a constant delight. Where will I unearth it today? Will adversity reveal His peace? Can my soul receive rest in deepest grief? What about insult, humiliation, or need? The answer must always be yes, for Jesus cannot tell a lie. Finding His rest offers a fulfilling pursuit in place of the petty goals we once chased.

3. His rest means rescue and renewal.
If Jesus's rest meant simply the absence of strife, it would be a hollow, halfway relief. Just as salvation both erases our guilt and produces our perfection, so spiritual rest goes beyond the simple removal of fatigue. It ushers us in to lavish abundance. We experience the "10,000 charms" celebrated by the early church (REFERENCE). We encounter "joy unspeakable," (REFERENCE), "pleasures forevermore," (REFERENCE), and "more joy than when your grain and new wine abound" (REFERENCE). Resting in Jesus means exuberant, eternal satisfaction, a blessing much richer than any earthly rest can achieve.

Oh God, let my motive for accepting Your rest be this joy. In Your rest, I find a preview of heaven. I discover that my hopes stand on truth. I encounter a depth and fulfillment that ____ my soul. Let me run to Your rest with the eagerness it deserves, anxious for the release and renewal only Your yoke can provide.