I wanted Brock to enjoy playing in the tub; I just didn’t want him hurt trying to get toys on his own. He needed my help.
For a while, he pushed his little boats. Then he stood up again.
“Sit down!” I repeated. “If you stand in the tub again, you’ll have to get out.”
“But,” Brock stated, quite proud of himself, “I’m Jesus, and I’m walking on the water!”
At times we try to do things on our own. Like Brock when he grabbed his toys, we follow our plan without realizing the dangers of our independence.
God, a father who watches over his children, sees our need for his help. And he tells us to “sit down” with the biblical commands to rest.
Resistance to rest
Even as adults, we don’t like to rest. We try to complete our to-do list without God because we think resting will delay our productivity.
Instead of resting, we try harder and work longer. Yet even work we enjoy becomes burdensome when we don’t take time to rest.
God’s people rested one day each week in Old Testament times.
We don’t live under Old Testament laws, since Jesus’ death on the cross offers us the grace of the New Testament.
Some people use that as a reason to resist resting. Yet God’s view of rest is not just an Old Testament command. The New Testament also instructs us to give our burdens to God so we can enjoy rest.
A time of rest is a time to set aside distractions and focus on God. Resting is relying on God’s help to accomplish our task in his time.
When looking at how and why we rest, Keri Wyatt Kent’s book “Breathe” states, “If I gave you three easy steps, you would miss out on experiencing God’s guidance for yourself.”
Keri is right. Our focus shouldn’t be on following someone’s instructions on what rest should look like in our lives.
Our focus should be on what God tells us about rest through his word.
Resting ‘how-to’s
Jesus said that rest is not just a spiritual exercise – it is a gift: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)
Resting in him is not a reward for accomplishing our tasks or something we enjoy when the holiday season is behind us. It’s a gift he wants to give us today.
When we recognize resting is a gift from God, we’re more willing to enjoy it without the guilt of feeling lazy.
Jesus’ discussion on rest revealed that it is not the same as being idle: “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.” (Matthew 11:29 NIV)
Rest is more than just enjoying a time of relaxation. Taking his yoke means we trust God with our burden so we can enjoy doing what he calls us to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11b states: “and we pray that God, by his power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds.”
Relying on God’s wisdom and power to complete tasks removes the sense that work is a burden. We realize that the results of our efforts are in God’s control.
Finally, resting is learning from Jesus’ example. Jesus was busy with an important to-do list that included healing the sick and feeding the hungry. Yet he rested regularly: “Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place” (Mark 1:35 NIV); “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountain to pray” (Luke 6:12 NIV).
The world didn’t fall apart when Jesus rested, even though he created it. Our world won’t fall apart when we rest, either.
As we obey God’s instruction to rest, our responsibilities will not change but our spirits will be transformed. Like Brock, we can act like “I’m Jesus” and face our responsibilities on our own. Or, we can obey God and become more like Jesus by resting.
