True Rest

Less than two months ago, I was wrestling to open my eyes after the second, third, fourth alarm sounded. After hours at my job in the education field, I was unmotivated to do much more than a quick break on the couch before preparing meals, doing laundry, and rushing off to whatever event was on my schedule for that night. It had become monotonous, and there was little to no space within the arrangement of my day for rest, let alone spiritual rest.

And then, as we are all well aware, our lives as we knew them came to a thundering halt in the beginning of March. I went into work on Monday, addressing only a few questions from curious colleagues about “what would happen if…” but they were only distant hypotheses in a sea of unwavering beliefs that “it won’t happen to us.” By Thursday morning, I was contacting the parents of the children at my school to tell them that we would not be returning for the foreseeable future.

And then God said, “Let there be time.”

Time today is different from what it was just a few short months ago. There is heaviness and sadness and grief as each second hand inches its way forward. But just as there used to be limited time for even a short moment of reprieve, now there is ample time for -- for what?

The wide world of the internet suggests everything from writing a novel to making a podcast to Marie Kondo-ing your house. I’ve seen countless images on social media feeds boasting homemade bread and cinnamon rolls (I will likely join these bread-bakers, one of these days, make no mistake). I’ve seen (not watched, mind you) workout videos, and I’ve indulged in some of my favorite comedians conducting interviews from their home offices. There are posts regarding self-care: take baths, go on walks, FaceTime loved ones, paint your nails, give yourself a facial, and the list goes on and on. These are all valid and beautiful suggestions, many of which I am personally following.

But what are God’s tips for quarantine? What Canva-designed Insta-story would Jesus post during this time of unease?

I can’t know for certain, but if my understanding of the Word is at all accurate, I think it would be pretty close to this: Rest.

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all His work.” -Genesis 2:2

Did the Almighty God have an actual need to rest after creation? Me thinks not so much. As all educators know, the best teachers model what they want their students to do. In that same vein, isn’t it possible that God was modeling for us what He wanted us to do? Rest.

There’s a powerful story in Exodus 16 where God tells His people to collect double the amount of bread He provided in the land on the sixth day of the week, because on the seventh day they were to stay in and rest. Some hard-headed people (not so unlike myself) decided to go out and try to seek more bread anyways, only to discover that there was none to be found. Stocking up on groceries has never felt more Biblical. Finally, the people relented and decided to stay in their homes and, you guessed it, rest.

“The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” -Exodus 33:14

You know how you feel when you’re around someone whose very presence in a room creates a sense of security and warmth? I’ve had a few close friends over the years who had the talent of simply being. There’s no other way to describe it- just having them in the same room made me feel safe. God’s very essence is that of rest.

Leviticus 23:32 “It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

No work, just rest. If you’ve got a mind like mine, this might provide more of a challenge than you’d expect. Sometimes the act of not working - not worrying about chores or not checking emails - is an act of sacrifice. True rest, God’s way, might mean feeling a little bit uncomfortable, all for the sake of enjoying its lasting refreshment.

• Psalm 62:1 - “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

• Isaiah 30:15 - “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.’”

Truly, truly, truly. Does the deepest corner of your soul find rest in God? Mine does, if I let it. It means quietness, it means turning down the volume on the soul-suckers that fight for my time. You know what I mean: the social media, the news, the countless TV subscriptions. You name it, my soul (and yours) knows it. But true rest comes when all of these things are quieted, and when you allow your soul to be filled up by God alone.

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” -Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus coming in for the ultimate mic drop. Jesus’ yoke is easy. What does that even mean, anyways? (Eggs, maybe…) No, the yoke is the object placed over the heads of two animals working together to pull a very heavy load in a field. If one animal tries to go to the left and the other to the right, they’ll likely be at a standstill until the stronger animal prevails. If one animal was given the task meant for two all on its own, it would be unsuccessful, or at the very least, very, very arduous.

Jesus’ offer to come under his yoke means that he doesn’t wish for you to bear your own burden solo. He wants to be yoked together with you for the purpose of gently guiding you to walk with Him. The weight of the load may increase as life proves again and again to be anything but a cake walk, but with Jesus’ capable shoulders alongside yours, you can rest easy in his guidance.

So, let’s take today. Are you awake? It’s time to find true rest in the loving arms of our Father. I mean, what kind of God purposely creates and mandates a day of rest, and then repeatedly reminds His people about it? I’d say only a generous, thoughtful, and unconditionally loving God could and would do something like that. And like all of God’s commands, this one is intended to bring goodness into our lives; it’s created out of love.

Maybe today you put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and you take time to bask in the beauty of creation. Maybe you turn up the praise tunes and dance around your kitchen. Maybe you find new meaning within the pages of the Bible, a privilege you may or may not have neglected when time was not so readily available. Maybe you take time to pray, on your knees, or in the warm embrace of a blanket with a cup of coffee in hand.

And God saw that it was good.

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About the author: Rebecca Storozuk

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