Finding Rest

When our five kids were ages seven and under and life was a joyful blend of carpet-ground graham crackers, apple juice-sticky kitchen counters, and yet another washer load of cloth diapers, I remember listening to a Sunday sermon series on Sabbath and wondering how in the world I was going to find 30 minutes alone for contemplative prayer when I could hardly find time for a shower. We lived far from family on the plains of Colorado and I could not afford a babysitter, so was Sabbath rest even possible in my sleep-deprived world?

Ten years earlier, a sudden snowstorm and rearranged cross-country flights landed me alone in a five-star Marriott Hotel room in Orlando, Florida, for what should have been a miraculous night of luxury and deep rest. But I was working a solitary job as a crime reporter in Chicago in those days, and the last thing I wanted was to sit alone in the silence of my thoughts; what I craved was the energy of human interaction and conversation, the relief of engaging with family and friends rather than viewing the bodies of crime victims in the county coroner's office at 3 in the morning. Was Sabbath rest possible in the oddity of a luxury hotel when what I really craved was simple conversation in someone's kitchen?

God commands us to rest in both the Old and New Testaments, pressing us to find moments where we can simply be and experience Him rather than merely doing our way through life. Indeed, rest is critical if we are going to draw closer to the Lord and live a life of intention, but we need to be wary of definitions of "rest" that are prescriptive rather than creative, limiting rather than expansive.

The Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3) because for six days He had worked and on the seventh He rested. We, too, are to labor for six days and rest on the seventh (Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 5:12), and Jesus continually disrupted the religious folks who limited Sabbath with their rules (Matthew 12:2, Mark 2:24, Luke 6:2, John 5:10, etc.). When Jesus proclaimed himself Lord of the Sabbath, He reminds us that Sabbath rest is about finding Him, not following rules (Colossians 2:16-17):

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

When my children were babies and life was a whirl, rest often came in the midst: laughter in the chaos of Hot Wheels and Polly Pockets, cozy snuggles on the couch, surprise moments of God's unmistakable presence in the ordinary. In the more solitary times of my life, rest has often come in the beauty of a hike or the luxury of an afternoon nap.

What does rest mean to you in this moment of your life? What draws you closer to God and re-energizes your soul? The Bible defines rest simply and succinctly: Jesus. Where will you meet Jesus this week?

Blessings on your week,

Jennie