The Sanctity of Rest

We tend to keep ourselves busy every day.

We study.

We work.

We play.

We watch.

We read. 

We cook.

We clean.

Some people believe you should be busy every hour of every day. They claim, “If you aren’t being productive, you are being lazy and useless”. There is no time to relax, the work has to be done. 

While there is some truth to these statements, we are liable to push ourselves too far in keeping busy to the point that we get burnt out, stressed, and depressed. We try so hard to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of every single hour in a day which can wear us down so quickly.

In these moments, we have forgotten the invitation to rest that Jesus gives us in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When we try to take control of everything in our lives, we forget that He alone is in control of it all. Resting allows us to step back from the busyness of our lives and invite the Lord in to intervene where He needs to. When we take up the yoke of Christ, we tether ourselves to Him and allow our minds and bodies to recover so we can better perform the work He has called us to. 

Just as work is not the same for each person, rest can have a variety of forms. Someone may choose to curl up with a blanket and a cup of coffee while another may go on a beautiful, scenic drive. Personally, I prefer a good nap. Whatever your form of “resting” may look like, I want to encourage you to start spending time each week just resting. Not working on anything productive, not scrolling on your phone, just resting completely in the Lord’s presence. It is the only way to fully benefit from His easy yoke and light burden. You will find that Jesus gives us grace in our rest so that none of our work is in vain for self-glory but for the glory of God.