"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
- Matthew 11:28
Rest.
That’s not a word I’ve entertained in my mind since... I don’t know, college?
Between chasing babies, working full time, putting the moldy laundry through the washer again, coming up with dinner, packing lunches, finishing those house projects we started... rest doesn’t even seem like a possibility for me at this point in my life. And the dangerous part is, I’ve gotten so used to the restlessness that I don’t even recognize the weight it brings anymore.
Fast forward a bit - when Jesus started knocking on the door of my heart. I already felt spread thin — over-committed and under-delivering in most areas of my life. Just when I thought I couldn’t add one more thing to my plate, Jesus taught me what He meant in Matthew 11:28 when He said, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
My husband and I share a passion for high school kids. And, an opportunity came out of the blue to host 2 weekly high school bible studies, and (only because of the Lord), we didn’t even think twice. It was big fat YES.
People warned us to slow down, don’t overextend ourselves and focus on us and our kids. But we couldn’t ignore the Lord’s tug- to open our home, our hearts, our kids, & our pantry to 19 teenage strangers.
Fast-forward again－to hundreds of batches of cookies and late-night heart to hearts with 17 year olds－and we truly have never felt •more rested• in our lives. How could that be? See, I thought REST was the last thing we had time for, but God knew it was the one thing our souls & our marriage so badly needed.
When Jesus says the word “Rest”, He isn’t talking about a nap, or a vacation away from our kids. He is talking about a supernatural rest only He can provide. A REST in non-resting times. A rest for our souls and our hearts, that no amount of downtime could ever sustain.
So how do we find this rest in Jesus? He is very clear－he says, “COME TO ME.” That’s it, you guys! He simply says to come to Him and He “will give you rest.” Because...
Jesus = Rest!
Jesus is at your door right now knocking, too. He is ready to give you all of His rest, but rest requires pursuit. It requires intentionality. Rest is not some heavenly thing we indulge in once a week－it’s a posture we develop and a freedom we find when we are walking daily with Jesus.
- Madison Dahlstrom
How can you develop a posture of resting in Jesus, even in the middle of business?
