True Rest

Have you ever had one of those nights you simply couldn’t fall asleep? You turn the pillow over, looking for the cool side. You shift around from your front to your back, side to side, looking for some position that is more comfortable than any other. You toss and you turn, wondering if you will ever find any rest. Maybe you have something on your mind, maybe it has been a long day, maybe you drank two double-shot, non-fat Lattes from Starbucks… But something is keeping you from finding the rest that you need. No matter how hard you try the relaxation and restfulness simply won’t come.

We’ve all one of those experiences. No matter what you try, it won’t make you any more rested. They might provide momentary relief or give you one night’s respite, but often you are back at the same place you were before.

This is often how the rest of the world feels about life. There are so many individuals who are looking for rest and peace. Their hearts yearn for true peace but they have no idea what that really means. Thus, they look for momentary peace and rest in the things of this world: drugs, alcohol, partying, “spirituality,” etc. These things provide momentary respite, but it is fleeting and never-lasting.

Augustine, a Christian minister and theologian from the 4^th century, writes a very similar idea in his Confessions. Augustine had grown up in a Christian home but rejected his faith so that he could follow the things of the world. He had an affair and a child out of wedlock, all while chasing “spiritual” philosophy that never seemed to offer enough hope. Finally, he writes these words that sum up his experience: “You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Jesus came to bring peace and rest to those who were weary and worn-out. Jesus 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30) Jesus reminds us that our ultimate rest can only be found when we lay everything at God’s feet and allow him to bear our burdens for us. We are called to take up his yoke, because his yoke is easier than our own. God wants to bring peace and rest to the world, and the world will never find true rest until they find rest in God alone.