Finding Rest

What are summers for?  

In my last blog post, I discussed our mandate as believers in Christ to honestly examine ourselves: to take a look at our lives in comparison with the Word of God to see how we align. Today, I want to talk about the rest that is promised to those who follow Christ. In Matthew 11:28, He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

If you ask people who aren’t teachers what teachers do during the summer, I think that a majority of them would say, “they’ll rest.” In fact, I have had many people tell me at the end of a long school year, “Don’t get lazy over this long break you have.” I’m not ever sure how to respond to those kinds of statements. I can only  speak for myself, but I don’t spend my summers just sitting around, doing nothing. In fact, my family stays pretty busy. There are days that I get to fish or focus on spending time with my family. I appreciate those times. But my wife and I spend many days during our summer vacation doing all the things that we can’t do during the school year: taking kids to the doctor and dentist, going to the doctor and dentist, having our cars serviced, deep cleaning our home, cleaning up the yard, checking off the list of tasks around the house that needs to be done before school starts in August, getting everything ready for school to start in August, etc. The truth is, for some teachers, and students, too, the days of summer break can be even more overwhelming than the days in the classroom. 

What can summers become?

Again, I can only speak for myself, but my summers off present a challenge for me that many outside of education may not consider. And, if I were the kind of person to wager, I’d bet that many other teachers have a similar challenge during their long, hot summer days. The problem? I have an innate need to stay busy, and whether I like it or not, I function better when I have a schedule and routine. After the first few days off, I find myself missing the familiar routine of the school day. And, truthfully, I don’t enjoy most of the tasks that I put off doing until I “have time during the summer,” which is probably why I say I will wait until summer to do them. 

Our two months off can also mean that we have more time to think and more time to focus on all the things in our life that we can’t control. If we’re not careful, our own thoughts can easily transform our relaxing summer vacation into an endless cycle of fear, worry, and angst.  

Why is rest a requirement?

It’s true that teachers get more breaks than most other professionals. I’m not sure, though, that teachers get more REST. But rest is so important. It’s so important, in fact, that the Bible records that God, Himself, took a break after His 6 days of creation. Later, we are told that this act of rest after work is a pattern that we should follow (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 10:8-11). Our Creator knows that His creation needs rest. As much as we might like to, we simply cannot work without stopping. Eventually, whether we choose to take a break or because we involuntarily collapse from exhaustion, we will have to stop and rest. 

What’s the best way to rest?

We can find rest in many different ways. Some people love to travel, I love to fish, other people find rest in reading books, and some enjoy movies and TV. I don’t think that there is anything inherently wrong with any of those ways to rest, but I do know that there is only one way to find true rest. The only true rest is the rest that comes from Christ Jesus, the one who is able to bring lasting, fulfilling rest to our body, mind, soul, and spirit. 

In fact, Jesus, not only can give us rest, but he calls us to come to him for the express purpose of finding rest. We see this in his words recorded in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

There is no other way to rest that will bring the peace that resting in Jesus will bring. There is no other burden that you can carry that is so light that it not only doesn’t weigh you down, but it actually lifts you up. There is no other resting place that will fill you with joy even in tough times and fill you with hope even when you see no way out of your struggle.

If you find yourself burdened and worried during your break this summer, try shifting your focus to the one who wants to carry your burden for you.Trust in Jesus: he knows what tomorrow brings; he will lead you through every difficulty that you encounter;  he will give you rest. 

Prayer: Lord, when I think about all of the things that are out of my control, I get so overwhelmed. Help me to cast my cares on you. And help me to learn to go to you first and find rest in trusting you.