Resting...

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. – Mt 25:28-30

Welcome to summer! Last Monday I saw a comic strip that featured a father and son relaxing in lawn chairs enjoying the gift of summer and in flies Mom frantic that it almost July and panicking over not making any vacation plans: “If we don’t get off our duffs and start planning something fast- I MEAN NOW- then we won’t get a chance to relax this summer.” As the father and son continue basking in the summer sun the son asks his father “Can she hear herself?” How often does this happen in your family? Cramming every minute of vacation with fun and adventure but not relaxation time? Do you ever feel like you need a vacation to recuperate from your vacation? Vacationing is not the same as resting!

Even Jesus understood the need for rest. Very often in the scriptures we see that He will go off to the mountains to get away from the crowds and to be with His Father. He needed some alone time to rest and pray and rejuvenate Himself. Today’s Gospel reading emphasizes rest. I find it interesting that Jesus does not simply tell us to rest but instead tells us to turn to Him and He will teach us and help us to find rest. He tells us He will show us how to unburden ourselves and find rest for ourselves.

This week let us remember to find time for true rest… sit in a chair quietly, perhaps outside with nature or inside by dim light. Listen to the silence around you… pay attention to the little noises you’ve never heard before… a bird chirping, wind chimes chiming, a floorboard creaking… listen for the voice of Jesus teaching you how to rest. Spending time at rest is time you cannot afford to miss.
God Bless, Holly Clark