Rest is Your Gift from God
Posted by: Amanda Bridle, Brand Manager and Graphic Designer | Monday, February 3rd, 2025 (12:00am)
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28 As I lay on the couch attempting to recover from a particularly vicious bout of the stomach flu, I notice the cap of my electrolyte drink is emblazoned with the words “Power Through.” That’s the message the world sells us, isn’t it? That if we just rely on our own hard work, if we just push ourselves beyond the limit, if we just “name it and claim it,” then we alone can make good things happen. But the reality is, we shouldn’t – in fact we can’t – “power through” without God. In fact, it is only by returning to Him that we can do anything good at all. And sometimes those good things aren’t the “successes” as the world defines them. Sometimes the next good thing for us to do is as simple as taking a rest. No one knows us like our Creator. He knows us inside and out, including our limitations. When I get distressed about all that is undone, I like to remember something I once read that suggested God gives us enough time to do what we’re called to do. I found that immensely comforting. If I do my best to stay in communication with Him, He will give me the time and capacity I need to do the things He has for me to do. Even Jesus turned to God for direction and guidance. Over and over again in the Gospels we see him slipping away to pray by himself. Luke reports in 5:16: But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. After a full day of teaching and travel and then an evening of healing (Jesus worked too!), we see Jesus taking steps to restore himself spiritually in Mark 1:35: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. We even see him napping when the world seems to be falling apart! See panic-stricken disciples waking him from his slumber while a storm rages: Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25. I’ve often made the mistake of seeing rest as something I must earn. I am a natural born “doer” who rather delights in checking things off the list. I’ve spent years telling myself “you can rest when x is done” or “once you’re caught up on x then you can have fun.” But the thing I’m learning is that the list really is never done. And more important than that, just like I don’t have to earn God’s love, I also don’t have to earn the gift of rest. In fact, it is God Himself who might be saying that the best way to “power through” right now is to close my eyes and take it easy. I encourage you to think about the physical and spiritual rest your body needs daily and weekly. How do you give your body regular breaks from sitting? How do you give your eyes a rest from screens? How do you make sure you’re getting enough sleep? And how do you reconnect with God throughout your day? What you need to add or take away from your life to be well-rested is personal. Take a few minutes to pray today and ask God “What rest do I need, Lord? How do I fit it in?” Keep your heart open to what He might be telling you! Want to read more posts like this? Subscribe to the Good News blog to receive a weekly dose of encouragement from our team. 
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“Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully… Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”
JEREMIAH 23:28-29 | NIVGrand Rapids / Lakeshore
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