Rest for the Weary

June 6th, 2023

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “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.” This verse has been one for a long time that I have sung to myself. Mostly because an acapella group in the eighties sang it and did such a good job at it, I just continually sing it. Especially when I am having trouble sleeping. However, just because I sang it doesn’t mean I always live it out; in fact, I often fail miserably at resting in Christ. This month’s podcast will cover three areas where we can find ways to rest.

Pick a Day: The first thing I do to rest is to find a day to rest. I try and pick one day a week when I can find rest. Of course, for those who know the Bible, a day of rest is a command. A command called Sabbath. For the early church, here is how the sabbath was explained. You will cook all your food for the sabbath the day before, and you will do no work. They were not supposed even to make themselves a sandwich. Now, I don’t know if you need to take it that far, but I think it is important to look at your week and pick a day that will be restful. I don’t think it has to be the same day every week, but somehow, we need to look at a day and decide that that day will be restful. I know what you’re saying, “But Alan, I am very busy, I have children, I have obligations, ” Right? I get you. In fact, I have a similar argument. The point here isn’t to keep you from life; it is to energize you so you can be present in the moments you have. I could definitely talk about Margin here, and if you want to hear more about that, listen to my podcast, but you can create your moment. Pick a day.

Pick a Place: Take a look at your life…………done? Okay, good; now, think about the most relaxing place within an hours drive of your home or a place within your home or neighborhood. Now picture that place; does it bring you rest? Getting to that place will not be a problem if you have picked your day. I think of fishing, but I can’t always get to a fishing spot, so I often go to my back patio while no one is home. It is quiet, pretty, and I can rest. Sometimes I will lay in a hammock. Sometimes I will play a video game in the house. There are a lot of places where I can find rest. But I must be intentional about the place I pick. Pick a place.

Make it a priority: I covered this a little in Pick a Day. But I want to discuss being intentional here. The term I like to use here is to control your schedule. If resting is a priority, then we must control our own schedule. The best way I think about this is to make an appointment with myself. If someone asks if I have plans, I say yes. I have made plans for that day. I make sure I have picked a free day. In other words, know your schedule. Are there games? Important deadlines that need to be met? We have to be diligent so that we can make rest a priority.

I said earlier I am not great at this, but I am trying, and I wanted you to know the things I am doing to do better. Are you willing to join me on this journey of rest? Let’s give it a shot together.