An Invitation to Rest

Rest. The word stirs a longing deep inside. I yearn for rest.

Rest is not the same as sleep. It is not the same as stopping. Rest is not finding a way to numb the pain of the present, nor is it trying to do nothing while anxiousness and guilt lurk in the background. Rest is not vacation, though sometimes vacations can be restful. I think rest is something more.

I wonder if rest is not so much something we do, but something we receive. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

I wonder if rest might have something to do with surrender – not in the sense of giving up, which can lead to despair and self-pity, but more in the sense of unclenching our hands, releasing our demands, and admitting our limitations.

I wonder if rest has something to do with consciously and intentionally spending time with God, soaking in his love, his word, and his beauty.

In order to receive, we have to be aware of our need and our inability to fulfill it.

In order to surrender, we have to be willing to see ourselves clearly in the light of God’s existence and care.

And to be in the presence of God is to believe and trust that everything he says is true even if it means letting go of our long-held opinions and feelings to the contrary.

The word ‘rest’ reminds me of the word ‘restoration,’ and I think of the verse in the 23rd Psalm that says, “he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.” What if rest is restoration for our souls? What if rest is being in the presence of God, the one who made us, who knows and understands and loves us the best? What if rest is seeing his beauty, his holiness, his worthiness, his enough-ness. Celebrating him. Basking in his light. Resting in his rest.

 Father, I open my hands to your kindness and provision and rest. I need you. In this moment, I release to you my inadequacy, weakness, fear, shame, anger, and guilt, and all the ways I try to cope with life without you. I long to be in your presence. I want to see your beauty. Would you meet me?

Written by Lauren McWilliams