I’m a week late with my weekly blog. It wasn’t cause I forgot or that I didn’t want to. It’s because I was sick. Some people may think, “Too sick to type. Suck it up!” God is so wise and all knowing even about ourselves that He sometimes pushes that pause button in our lives. Some of us want to go 100 mph, and even the best sports cars can’t maintain that for too long. As human beings, we can’t go “full throttle” all the time.
I remember when I was young that I loved getting sick. Loved being in bed, loved putting things off, and loved just doing nothing. Now as an adult, I can’t sit still for more than 5 minutes. I have to meet this deadline or go to this meeting or meet this person. I have family, church, and personal obligations. Last month being Christmas felt like being in the Indianapolis 500 - so many things to be done including family holiday stuff. Whew.
I couldn’t and didn’t want to rest, but God blew the whistle and said, “Yes, you do”! During that time in bed, God was speaking to me through His Word, and I had some incredible times of praying to Him & listening. Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and burden, and I will give you rest”. The word “rest” isn’t about taking a vacation or taking time off from things. I think this word “rest” means that Jesus will give you - peace, rejuvenation, and strength to tackle things in your life again.
When you have “blinders” on in your career, relationships, or academics, you start to forget that you’re not in control, but He is! When you focus on the obstacles and stresses in life, you become tired physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We all need REST in Jesus; we need time to spend time in His Word, in prayer, writing in a journal, and just listening to hear His loving and gracious voice.
Well, I feel rested not because I was in bed but because I spent some quality time with my Lord. He told me that I can’t overcome the world with all it’s stresses, pains, and hardships, but He already did on the cross for me. Jesus reminded me that He took not only my sins, but also my weaknesses, stresses, and discomforts. He has already overcome them all. I was reminded this when I was sick. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you very much.
So if you feel a little run down physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, get some rest in Him. Read His comforting words in Scripture, pray out loud, listen to His voice in you, and write down the things that He has said to you. It’s always a good time to find rest.
