Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
For years, I’ve struggled to understand. How can there be rest in a world like this…in the here-and-now reality of government sponsored terrorist attacks, state approved drug consumption, and families reeling from the long-term effects of terminal illness…abuse…divorce?
Religion tells us we’ll find peace in doing…living life in a certain way…proving to God that we are worthy of approval.
Television “experts” and self-help gurus reassure that we create our own peace–“Happiness is in your spiritual DNA. It is what you experience when you accept yourself…” (Dr. Robert Holden).
The world promises we can find peace in the anesthetized power of sexual encounters…bank accounts brimming with wealth…or the uninhibited consumption of a non-demanding, high-resolution screen.
No…religion robs us of joy and promotes the desire to help others–a desire born of a self-centered motivation to earn heavenly favor.
If happiness were innate, then there would be no such thing as genetically based mood disorders. Say “goodbye” to depression. Adios, anxiety! We have the power!
And money? Sex? Inanimate screens? In and of themselves, they aren’t bad. As givers of hope, though, they are only mere fillers for unmet emotional and spiritual needs! As soon as the money has been spent, the comforting arms have disappeared, or the ‘off’ button has eliminated the constant Twitter and Facebook feeds then what remains? Lonely, broken people.
Jesus? He promised something more….a one-of-a-kind, once-and-for-all, happily ever after. It may seem slow in coming, but there is a place prepared with you in mind, Dear One–your forever home with a tender Father willing to temporarily move into time and space in order to bear your burden and mine .
This is a sort of rest that extends beyond the ten o’ clock news and personal problems. Soul-rest exists in the glorious triumph of Christ’s resurrection, His assurance of forgiveness, and the holy grace of eternal restoration.
Scripture for Reflection–
Isaiah 53:3-4