True Rest

By: Jenifer Metzger

If you read my blog earlier this week, you know that my husband and I, along with three of our kids and two of our grandsons, went on vacation last week. We are big proponents of vacations. Everyone needs and deserves time off to get away, relax, breathe, make memories, and rest. Vacations are very important to our family.

We had an incredible time away. We had great conversations, played with the grandkids, slept, relaxed, enjoyed ourselves, and made life long memories. We left feeling rested and refreshed.

Then, we drove home. We had ten hours of uneventful driving. Conversations were going and music was playing, it was great. Only two and a half hours left until we would pull into our driveway when on a dark country highway, a deer with a death wish decided to make her move.

We know how deer are, especially at night, so we had been on the lookout, never letting our guard down. However, these beautiful animals are fast and sneaky. There was nothing we could do. It was awful. I felt so badly for the poor deer. But thankful we were all okay. Our truck, however, was not. I was pretty much in shock the rest of the short night as we dealt with a kind police officer, a less-than-helpful insurance company, and made our way home squeezed into my daughter's mini van.

The next morning we woke up and set to unpacking and dealing more with the insurance company, fighting to get a rental, and dealing with sore bodies from a long drive and the impact. The following morning I woke up with the flu.

I just kept thinking over and over in my mind, where was my rest? Where was my peace? I just had an amazing week away and felt so at peace, relaxed, and rested! Where did it all go!? This vacation was supposed to sustain me until we could get away again! How did I lose it so quickly!?

That is when God brought this verse to mind.

Come to Me, all of you who

are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 CSB

Vacations are glorious. They are needed. Weekends away are too. So are nights out with friends, bubble baths, relaxing with a good book, sipping on coffee on the front porch, sleeping in on occasion, all those things that help us to feel rest are good. Doing the things we love is wonderful. However, they are temporary.

Vacations can't last forever. Weekends come to an end. Bubble baths grow cold. Mugs become empty. Books finish their story. Nothing lasts.

True rest, lasting rest, that only comes from the Lord. He gives rest that can't be taken away by a deer on a suicide mission, a virus that invades our bodies, mean bosses, cranky neighbors, incoming bills, or anything else. He gives rest that is lasting. Rest that isn't just "skin deep."

And the wonderful part is, when we feel that we need that rest again, we don't have to wait a year for another vacation or our girlfriends' calendar to open up for a girls day, we can simply go straight to the Lord -right then and there.

We can lay our burdens, chaos, hurts, and anything weighing on our heart and mind at the feet of the Lord. We can trust Him to take care of whatever we are facing. We can remember that He works everything out for His glory. And we can return to the rest and joy of our salvation -even in the midst of unrest.

Whatever has you feeling unrest today, lay it at His feet. Spend time talking with God (not at Him, there is a difference). Worship Him. Let His true and lasting rest seep into your very soul and fill you with everything you need in this moment.

Discussion:
1. What makes you feel rested most? How often do you get to do that thing?
2. True rest only comes from God, and it's a rest we can "tap into" every moment of every day. What can you do today to find that rest?