How to Find Real Rest in a World Obsessed with Doing It All
A Note from Carol: I love giving some of my friends a voice on my Joy for the Journey blog. Let me reintroduce you to Susan Myers, creative director at Carol McLeod Ministries. I hope her perspective illuminates the end of the year and encourages you to a stronger faith in Jesus.
As we bid adieu to 2022, social media is about to be flooded with New Year’s resolutions, color-coded planners, and every type of 2023 calendar imaginable. You can organize your life hourly, daily, weekly, monthly…even minute by minute, if you really want to.
Every second can be accounted for and organized in order to maximize your productivity and achieve your goals. Every habit can be tracked to ensure you are, indeed, living your best life. Every activity can be scheduled so you can truly have it all.
But what do you do when the obsession to do it all leaves you exhausted, unfulfilled, and feeling like a failure? The answer is simple: rest.
You were created to rest, my sister, and not just any kind of rest will do. Mindlessly scrolling on social media, binge-watching your favorite show, and even that oh-so-coveted nap are not the kind of rest your soul is longing for. They might bring a temporary respite from the looming to-do list, but they will not satisfy and sustain you in the long term.
You need God-ordained, sacred rest, and it can only be found at the feet of Jesus.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
If you’re serious about finding rest…if you’re done living in an endless cycle of exhaustion and discontentment…then these verses are your road map to peace.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus calls us to come to Him. How we order our days matters, and what we prioritize says a lot about what matters most in our hearts. When you think about how you spend your day, what gets the most of your time and attention? If you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, start by looking at what matters most to you and where you’ve been seeking your rest. If you’re weary and burdened…run to Jesus.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus promises to give us rest. He is not a man that He might lie, and His word can be fully trusted and depended upon (Numbers 23:19). If He says it, He will do it, and we can trust in Him. He is the One who will give us rest, and He is willing and able to do so.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
To take up the yoke of Jesus, we are required to lay down the yoke of the world. Each morning, we are faced with the decision to dive headlong into the demands of the day or to listen to the gentle and humble heart of Jesus. He longs to guide our steps, but we have to make room in our lives for His plans. We have to surrender our schedules and make time to seek His will…not just for our lives, but also for our days.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
When we learn to surrender our plans to Him, we will find rest for our souls. When you start doing more of what He calls you to do and less of what the world tempts you to do, your soul will find rest, contentment, and fulfillment in full measure. God has divine designs for your life, and by filling your calendar and to-do list with good things, you might miss the best things that He has planned for you…the unexpected things…the purpose-filled interruptions…the divine appointments that you can’t foresee.
“Come to Me, all 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
When you’re ready, He is waiting. Come and find the rest you have been so desperately seeking.