“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

This past weekend was Labor Day. My usual plans would consist of going to the beach from morning until the very last minute that I could stay; however, this year was different. Different isn’t surprising compared to all of our lives for the past year and a half.   It seems that nothing is as it was before. 

I struggled with being the responsible adult and working in the house or truly slowing down and enjoying the day.  The word “rest” kept reverberating over and over in my mind.  I knew that I needed mental, physical, and emotional rest.  It has been and is a hard season. Our lives seem to go at warp speed racing to work in the morning, racing to the next event, and even rushing from one church service to the next. So you can see that the decision in itself was stressful.

Jesus knew that the disciples and generations to come would have the tendency to overlook the necessity of rest.  Our nature would choose to carry our burdens rather than giving them to Jesus and work ourselves silly with one or more jobs going from sun-up to sun-down, never really living the abundant life Jesus desired us to have.  And, because we would try to keep up with this pace, Jesus knew that we would become weary, living life with no joy just merely existing.  So, Jesus called the disciples to come to him and rest, to stop laboring and simply receive Him. Today, Jesus calls us to do the same.  

We have all seen the effects of Covid. All of us have lost entirely too many family members and friends to this dreadful virus which has impacted how we are functioning and living life day today.  Some people are hibernating as much as possible because fear has consumed them while others are still going at breakneck speed having ill effects on them emotionally, physically, and mentally. 

What are we to do?

On Labor Day, I chose to rest. My husband and I enjoyed the day with a motorcycle ride which gave me a lot of time to think, listen, pray and meditate on this verse. I don’t think I am the only one stressing to live a life of rest and joy. Maybe you are feeling the weight of it too.  I want to share with you a few things that I am hearing in hopes to encourage you.

*Slow down so I don’t miss the joy of the moment.

*Stop worrying about the things that I cannot control.

*Give my family, myself, and each day to the Lord, trusting Him with all of it.

*Do everything I can to be cautious, healthy, and wise, leaving the rest in God’s hands.

*Learn to say “no” to busyness and “yes” to the things that matter most.

*There is always a purpose for the pain. God does not waste a thing.

*Fear is a liar sent to steal, kill, and destroy.

*God is good whether I see His goodness or not.

*Remember that my salvation, my hope, my present, and my future belong to Jesus. 

Every day we can choose to live either in rest or in fret. 

What will it be?