Reclaiming RestSample

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The hardest part about throwing a surprise party is subtly convincing the guest of honor to arrive just when and where you’ve planned. It’s always a gamble! Can you imagine the disappointment of those gathered in hushed suspense if he or she didn’t show? All the effort of decorating, gathering loved ones, preparing food, and wrapping gifts would be left standing, unused, and unappreciated.

The first of Jesus’ beckoning in Matthew 11:28-30, the call to come to him, reminds us that this is where we should always begin. Like the honored guest at a party, we just need to show up. Jesus has taken care of the rest! For some of us, this coming to Jesus is for the first time; for others, it is a returning. Whether for a brief moment or a lifetime, any time spent in his presence is rich with the invitation to rest.

It can be all too easy to equate escape and rest. So often we want to get away and think of nothing. The burdens we bear hush us into reclusivity, but all along we’ve been made for more! The Apostle Paul put it like this: “In him we live and move and have our being.” And, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” What a worthy refuge is our God!

Today, right now even, is the best time to spend a few quiet moments coming to Jesus with your whole self. Bring all you’ve been carrying. Pray for his help to lay those things down, and pray for your empty spaces to be filled with him. This is your daily doorway to rest.

For further reflection:

• When you think of Jesus, how do you really see him? Is he warm and welcoming? Cold and distant? Harsh and exacting? Lax and obliging? Aloof and unavailable? How does he describe himself?