“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
What comes to your mind when you hear the word rest? What do you picture?
If you are a parent, you probably envision your pillow. (Maybe a pillow in a quiet hotel room away from the kids…now that would be true rest!) Maybe you envision a vacation, a spa, a nanny or a housecleaner.
I picture the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. The gentle tide ebbing against the sand as the glowing sunshine beams down.
Do you long for rest? Do you ever press pause on your life long enough to think about it? Is it elusive? Do we really need it?
As a mom of young kids, trying to juggle responsibilities as a wife, mom, teacher and writer often leaves me exhausted. I have often wondered if exhaustion is normal, just par for the course in this season of life. As I press deeper into my heart however, I have discovered that it isn’t just physical exhaustion that weighs upon my shoulders. It is my soul that is weary; like my inner being has done one too many deadlifts and can’t seem to make it up the stairs without crawling.
When I look in Scripture I see that the Lord has promised abundant life, joy, rest and peace, yet in this season, the weariness seems at times to overwhelm me.
And I can’t help but think that I am not alone.
Over the next weeks I want to invite you to study the idea of rest with me. What is it? What does it look like in daily life? How do we achieve it?
Merriam-Webster gives distinct definitions of the word rest:
Few would argue that our American, 21st century way of life promotes any significant form of rest as stated in those definitions.
Let’s take a look at each one more closely.
#1 – repose, sleep; specifically : a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities
Sleep. There is an undercurrent in our society that seems to tell us that sleep is for the weak. It is almost a badge of honor to burn the candle at both ends. Sometimes our children or jobs require us to push through a hard day or season with little sleep to accomplish a specific purpose. However, too often, this becomes a pattern. We forfeit hours of sleep, thinking our bodies can function on 4-5 hours of sleep, when studies show that our bodies need more.
Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every night in order to function well. Children need even more.
(Just a few resources for further study on sleep: Sleep Foundation, Sleep Does a Family Good.)
#2 – a :freedom from activity or labor, b : a state of motionlessness or inactivity
As a mom of young kids, this definition is tough to even comprehend because I think this type of rest for moms is simply unachievable unless you are alone!
Typically, this would be our leisure time, whether at home or on vacation. A time to put aside the to-do list and rest. Relax. Unwind.
#2, part 2 – c : the repose of death
Well, there ya go. There is hope for rest for us all!
#3 – a place for resting or lodging
The cabana on the Caribbean Beach or the lodge in the mountains!
#4 – peace of mind or spirit
If we are honest, this is the deepest yearning of our souls. To be at rest and peace when we lay our head on our pillows at night. To have an inner haven from the outward striving and pushing and work.
In Matthew 11, Jesus speaks the words our souls long to hear:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Jesus invites us to a place where our minds and our spirits are at rest.
“Come to me” is an invitation tells us that true rest cannot be found outside of Him. The cabana on the beach will not give our souls rest. No trip to the spa or day of shopping or fishing will give us the rest we truly crave. Dear friends, if we are longing for rest, we can only find it at the feet of Jesus. First through surrendering our lives to Him as Lord through salvation and then continually trading our lives for His everyday.
“All ye that labour and are heavy laden” gives us an insight into what makes our souls weary and tired.
“Labor” here has a good connotation. Laboring and working hard as Galatians 6:9 instructs us. There are many good things that we are to be doing. II Thes. 3:10, Prov. 19:15, Rom. 12:10-11 all exhort us to work diligently unto the Lord.
“Heavy laden” has a completely different meaning. It means to be burdened or weighed down with burdensome religious requirements. It is only used one other time in Scripture in Luke 11:46 when Jesus rebukes the leaders of the day for burdening the people with an impossible standard of rules and laws.
What is so beautiful is that the Lord invites us to rest, no matter what is causing us to be tired. He knows that we will be tired from the work that is necessary to do. He knows we will be weary from burdening ourselves with expectations and pressures we were never meant to fulfill.
No matter what the cause, He is the answer. He invites us to lay our burdened and tired selves down at His feet.
“Take my yoke” – Oxen are made to work. They are not leisure animals. Before the fall of man in Genesis, we see God instructing Adam to work. The curse of the fall was not work itself, but that it would be difficult.
A well-fitted yoke is a blessing to the animal, providing the boundaries and guidance for it to work well. A good parent provides boundaries and guidance for his child, in the same way our Heavenly Father gives us guidance and instructions for our good.
“Learn from me” – A young oxen would always be paired with an older, more experienced oxen. Two young oxen paired together would equal chaos and frustration for the farmer. A young oxen, when paired with an older oxen, could learn his ways and walk in His steps. No striving, no fighting, no pressure to achieve. All the young oxen needed to do was follow.
“I am meek and lowly in heart” – Our Lord defines himself as a humble servant, willing to carry the weight our burden.
“and ye shall find rest for your souls” – He lays out the prescription for the rest we need – trading our burdens for His. What a sweet hope!
He is not calling us to a life of leisure, but to work from a place of rest as we lay aside our striving in exchange for rest, trust and hope in Him.
Take a moment to listen to this song. Today take hope. We have a Savior that has promised us rest.
(Study notes and commentaries used)