Rest Stop

Growing up I looked forward to our annual family vacation each year. Very early in the time-share boom my parents purchased a condo which we used to spend one glorious week at the beach. Often we would leave in the middle of the night so there would be no hotel cost on our way. My sisters, my mom, & I would sleep a good portion of the trip while Dad drove. The smell of coffee and the sound of country music filled the car throughout the night. On occasion I would wake up to realize that we'd pulled over either on the side of the road or at a rest stop. My dad just needed a little rest in order to continue the long drive. But the true rest for him and each of us actually came when we arrived at our white sand destination. Our days were spent at the pool or "riding" the waves on our little brown floats. We ate our meals inside the condo. Three little girls with sun-kissed cheeks and Strawberry Shortcake pj's would sit around the table while Mom and Dad boiled shrimp and treated us to bear claw pastries. These are the greatest memories of my childhood. Not only because of the fun that we had as a family, but also the fact that our parents (who were pastors) were for seven days, absolutely and completely relaxed. It created an atmosphere of peace. I am not implying that our house was completely stressed out the remainder of the year, but between the ministry, Mom's job, and just simply life in general we were as busy and distracted as any All-American family. We never really learned that the rest that we were enjoying on our trip could be enjoyed all year long. At least, I never learned that fact :)
Maybe you're like me. You live for the evenings at home with nothing to do. And yet somehow, someway you create "burdens" for yourself. Like there is something terribly wrong with the occasional veg-out on the couch with your loved ones. See the problem is we have a hero complex about stress, busyness, anxiety, and even worry. We believe that rest is an action instead of a lifestyle. Jesus was very clear about worry and stress. He tells us in Matthew 6:25-34 not to worry about anything! Not your clothes, your shelter, your food...NOT ANYTHING! He asked if we thought that God loves the birds or the flowers in the field more than He loves us. The answer is of course, no, and yet we are concerned that although He meets their every need, He cannot take care of us. This passage is not about the lack of diligence, hard work, and planning. It's about the worry. It's about the anxiety. Did you wake up this morning with so much on your mind that you literally felt like crawling back in the bed and crying? It doesn't even have to be material things you are concerning yourself with right now. Maybe you are distracted by trying to fix relationships. Or possibly you are finding yourself so depressed and overwhelmed with situations in your life that you are not sure you can continue one more day. Whatever it is, learning to rely on the care that Christ Himself has for you is the first step in unloading your burdens. Later in the book of Matthew (chpt. 11:28-30) Jesus tells us to take every heavy burden that is weighing us down and give it to Him. Here is the passage from the New Living Translation: "Then Jesus said "Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (burden) upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light".
You may ask, "How can a burden traded for another burden be a good thing? Or how can a burden be considered light?" Well, the answer is this, the burden we receive from Jesus is empowering. The yoke is what was around the neck of the animal so that they could better pull the plow. It is what we need to get the things in our life (spiritually and physically) done the right way. The burden we give Him is that sick, desperate feeling. The hopelessness that so many people constantly live under. The trying-to-figure-it-all-out to no avail. That's what we are trading! We are trading anxiety for peace and problems for solutions! The rest that Jesus wants us to have is not a vacation from problems or a quick power-nap from our life. It is a life changing peace and rest that passes all our human understanding (Phillipians 4:6-7).
Remember the old Nestea commercials? I like to call this a spiritual Nestea plunge! Just fall back and let the REST that God has promised to cover all your thoughts. Allow yourself to hand-over every burden that you are carrying today. Don't let your emotions argue with the truth of true rest in our Savior! Live your life rested!

Be Blessed!
Cheree'

**For more study on the rest that God has promised us, go to Hebrews chapter 4