It's Okay To Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 

 

Have you ever thought about what it truly means to actually REST?  Do you really know what it means to RELAX?  We know what it means to work, don't we?  Some of us have the tendency to work even on "vacation."  Jesus tells those of us who work and are feeling the weight of constant struggle, to come to Him and He will give us rest.

 

Here's an interesting nugget of information:  The word translated "rest" is the Greek word Anapauo which is a verb.  From elementary school grammar we remember that verbs indicate action.  Anapauo literally means "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength; to refresh; to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation."  Thus, when Jesus gives us rest, He is giving us permission to recover and collect our strength, to refresh and to keep quiet.

 

Jesus understood what it was to be kept so busy that you may or may not have a chance to even get a bite to eat.  Yet, Jesus also understood the need to have a break from busyness.

 

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I have learned to take time to relax and recharge my body.  However, getting my mind to relax and recharge is like trying to herd fleas.  I struggle with settling my mind.  I can sit in my recliner and crochet, which is how I relax, yet my mind is busy with my schedule of appointments coming up, the bills I need to pay, trying to figure out how to pay the bills I need to pay, concerns about my parents, my concern for those I have spent time counseling, and the list bounces around my brain like a rubber ball down the interstate.

 

In order to truly rest and recharge, we have to train ourselves to give our concerns to God and LET THEM GO!  We were not made to keep the stress and anxiety we take on ourselves for long before our health begins to feel the toll, our relationships also feel the toll, every aspect of our lives will feel the toll.  We must train ourselves, therefore, on how to rest and relax and recharge. 

 

What better Valentine gift can we have than the gift of being able to rest and relax?