Bear not a single care thyself,
One is too much for thee;
The work is mine, and mine alone;
Thy work is to rest in Me.

~Unknown

What does it mean to rest?

I’m not talking about sleep, although that is a very important part of life. Perhaps we can talk about that in another blog post some day.

What I’m talking about is the kind of rest that satisfies our souls, removes the stress from our shoulders, and let’s us breathe deeply. When we are at rest we can live undisturbed, joy-filled lives. Rest allows us to experience peace even in the midst of trouble and pain. It comes as we surrender our every care to Jesus, who has promised to cary them all for us.

So why is it so hard for us to find this rest?

I believe there is one reason—that we take on burdens we were not meant to carry. They may be based on the global news stories that flood our media daily. Or maybe they arise from the seemingly insurmountable issues that we face in our own country.

Perhaps our family members or friends are experiencing great difficulties. They could be caused by their poor choices. Our loved ones may be impacted by another person’s sin. The variety of issues that cause our loved ones’ pain can add heavy burdens to us.

Yet there is more. We carry a bucketload of our own burdens, ill-fitting and heavy. Some are based on the expectations we have created for our lives—our understanding of how life should work, what we’d be doing by this age, so many other ideas that have become a part of our thinking. We may feel great disappointment with life, with others, with ourselves, even with God. Perhaps we think we don’t pray enough, or don’t love enough, or don’t work hard enough.

Oh, friend, I don’t know if this incomplete list of things we try to carry sounds familiar to you, but at one time or another I have experienced them all. And more. Every one of these cares keeps us from the rest Christ offers us. The poet above reminds us that Jesus doesn’t want us to bear even one care. That job belongs to him alone.

Our job is to rest

Hear the invitation of Jesus from Matt 11:28-30 (The Message):

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:7, (The Message):

Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

David also calls us to surrender all our cares to the Lord in Ps 55:22 (NIV)

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

How do you find rest? The only was I know is to respond to the Scriptures that call us to drop our cares at the feet of the one who took them all upon himself and, unlike us, knows how to handle them. He is strong. He loves you; And he carries you in his arms (see Isaiah 40:11).

If you have no rest, don’t live another day without casting all your cares on the Lord. He’s waiting to carry them for you.

In Jesus alone you will find rest.

 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

Ginger