How often do you find yourself saying that you’re just too busy? How many evenings do you wish you could stay in but don’t? Do you ever get that feeling that life is ever so slightly out of control, maybe especially when you look at your diary or inbox? How often do you say, “yes” to taking on a new role or responsibility, when you know full well your answer really ought to have been “no”? When was the last time you could honestly say you weren’t tired?
As Christians we proclaim a gospel of freedom (Luke 4:18); we talk of a Saviour whose burden is light (Matthew 11:30) and encourage others to find rest in God (Psalm 62). But all too frequently we model lives of manic activity, packed diaries, overflowing to-do lists and burdened hearts. We listen to sermons about Mary and Martha and nod sagely as the preacher says that Mary’s way of sitting at Jesus’ feet is better and then leave the church to live lives so frenetic, even Martha herself may be exhausted at the thought of the pace!
And for most of us, it’s not because we don’t have access to labour-saving devices. Few of us in the UK, US or Australia are scurrying around desperately scraping together the cash to put a few grains of rice in front of our families. We are not manic in a desperate bid to survive. No, we choose to live like this. Or at least we choose to buy into the lies that encourage us to live like this.
The lies are all around us. They pervade every sector of our society. And they stem from the waywardness of our hearts. Deep down many of us believe that:
Or that:
And, as we live in light of at least some of those lies, we give ourselves permission to fill our days with too many things – often they’re good things – but too many nevertheless. In process we induce exhaustion in bodies and give the impression to others that we’re not accessible, not flexible, not likely to have time to listen to their needs. And we risk ignoring God as we focus on doing things for him rather than sitting with him in Bible-study and prayer.
But such thinking and such living is far from what God wants for his family. As Christians, we are children of the living God – made in his image, adored beyond measure (1 John 3:1). That’s what gives us our identity and our purpose – nothing we do can enhance how precious we are. Our future is as secure as it could possibly be in the hands of the living God. And it’s impossible to make him love us more by scurrying around his creation. Because of his love, his mercy, his grace we are blessed beyond measure and can rest safe in the knowledge that he is sovereign and he is good.
We are, of course, called to serve God, our Christian family and our neighbours – and that will involve some hard work. Indeed, human beings were created to do some work (Genesis 1:28). But the fact is, rest is equally glorifying to God.
Rest is equally commanded by God (Exodus 20:8-11). Rest is not an optional extra to be squeezed into a few weeks on the beach. Rest is an integral part of what it is to be human, to be Christian, to be whole. And it reminds us of our true home. The place where we are called to live for eternity. That place of eternal rest, eternal perfection, eternal bliss (Hebrews 4).
Rest doesn’t just happen. It needs planning. In our contexts it probably needs more planning than work! But it is possible and so worthwhile. So why not get out your diary right now? Get a pen and put a line through just one evening (baby-steps to begin with!). In indelible ink write in the words “rest – prayer – Bible study”. Plan right now which passage of Scripture you are going to reflect on and write that in too. And then tell someone close to you what you’ve done and ask them to pray for you and encourage you to keep that time special. Finally, look forward to honouring God by trusting his good teaching that rest is good for you – safe in the knowledge that he will love the fact you’re spending time with him.
