Rest // Matthew 11:28-30

I LOVE today’s verse! It maintains a tension we may feel when it comes to rest. God told us to rest when He gave the 10 Commandments, but our culture wants us to do anything but. We experience burnout when we refuse to rest and end up overworking ourselves. Jesus came to bring the counterweight to the commandment when He offered an invitation to get away with Him from our burdened burnout. That invitation might help to soften the guilt one might feel with the reality that rest can be hard. Check out this same passage in The Message version, because I think it captures the sentiment Jesus expressed: “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.” If you’ve ignored God’s commandment to rest and find yourself burning out, accept Jesus’ invitation to come along with Him to find recovery for your soul. Those are the unforced rhythms of grace that will help keep you in time with the various steps we must make and take in the dance of life. And it all comes in rest. This might be a challenge to accomplish here on a Tuesday, but why not take the next day or two to clear your schedule so you can observe a rightful rest at some point this week?