by Joel Mayward, Director of Junior High Ministries
It’s already nearly halfway through summer vacation! Our three months of vacation and relaxation are quickly disappearing. For those of us who are out of school, summer can hardly feel like a “vacation” or a “break.” We still have our jobs and all the responsibilities of every life, with the addition of 110+ degree heat. Even our vacations can sometimes be more stressful than restful.
I’ve been reflecting about this concept of rest lately. In such a driven and work-oriented culture, we often can equate “rest” with “laziness.” And no one wants to be accused of being lazy. There’s always something to do, some project we can work on, something we can fix. Our times of rest are generally not very restful.
God seems to have a radical view on rest. He actually takes it quite seriously. From the beginning, God rests on the seventh day of Creation. Now, we know that God doesn’t need to take a break; you won’t find God taking naps during the day or needing a latte to stay awake. But He chooses to rest in order to enjoy His creation and marvel at what He has done.
Later on in Scripture, God institutes the Sabbath rest, calling His people to take a day off from work. In fact, in Exodus 31, God says that anyone breaking the Sabbath will be “cut off from their people” and put to death. We’re not under the same law as believers in Christ; we aren’t going to be banished from the nation if we don’t take a Sabbath. But isn’t it true that if we never take a day off work, our relationships suffer? Don’t we become “cut off from our people” when we choose to work 60 hour weeks? How does workaholism affect our marriages? Our children? Our friends and neighbors? If this pattern of restlessness continues, it generally leads to broken relationships, health issues, and eventually death (both spiritual and physical).
If we look at Jesus, who models perfection in every way, we see multiple examples of Him choosing to rest. Scripture says that He would often go to lonely places to pray and be renewed. Many of the settings in the Gospels are at dinner parties or times of leisure with friends. I love the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10). Martha is busy busy busy around the house, trying to make everything right for Jesus. She has good intentions—she wants to serve Jesus well—but her busy actions actually distract her from Him. On the other hand, Mary spends her time resting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. Martha is doing things for Jesus; Mary has embraced a spirituality of being with Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t invite us into a spirituality of busyness and stress; instead He calls all those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest (Matt. 11:28). Jesus is never being lazy; He recognizes that we need to be renewed and refreshed in the Lord in order to be fully alive and fulfill the mission He has given us.
So in the middle of this all-too-busy summer vacation, I am learning to rest. I am putting aside the inner voice that accuses me of laziness, instead embracing a spirituality of resting with Jesus. I am trying to take intentional moments out of the day to simply sit and be still, to pray silently and listen for God’s voice, to reflect and marvel on what God has done in my life.
How can you take steps toward a spirituality of rest? Take five minutes today to be still and reflect on what God has done in your life this past week.