"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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." Matthew 11:28-30
Second, rest is important to remind us of who we are, to reaffirm our humanity as men and women made in the image of God. We are not merely the sum of what we accomplish. We are not merely a means of production, cogs in a machine. A man is not a horse, to be valued according to how well he pulls a wagon or a plow; he is not a tool, to be valued only for the tasks he can perform. Yes, our work has value, but it’s not our work that gives us value. Our value is inherent within us; it comes from the fact that God made us and gave his Son for us.
A workaholic is someone who is addicted to work, not because he enjoys it, but because it’s the only thing that gives him any sense of worth. But that’s a pathology, a sickness. It’s not true. We have great worth, regardless of how much or how little we accomplish. We have value because God is our Father, and because in Christ we are his children.
I seldom quote poetry in my sermons, but I have to make an exception in this case, because it is so appropriate. The 17th century author John Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, became blind at the age of 44. Milton’s "rest," caused by his blindness, was not of his own choosing. But as he correctly understood, his blindness did not reduce his value to God one iota. Did it diminish his ability to serve God as a writer and a poet? Probably. But it didn’t matter. God doesn’t need our work. He doesn’t need our gifts; in fact, all that we can offer to him is what we have already received from him in the first place.
Not only do we have worth when we are working; but we have equal worth when we are simply enjoying God’s good gifts – reading the Scriptures, listening to music, fishing, walking in the woods, playing with our children, having coffee with our spouse, admiring a painting, or eating a hot croissant with jam and butter. And we need regular times of rest to help us remember that. It is the one who can look inward and feel of value who is of value to others. Jesus did not make a difference and therefore He was somebody; He was somebody, therefore He made a difference.
In our codependent living we are seeking to define our value by what we do for others and how much they need us. Such an external value system requires constant validation from others for us to feel any sense of worth. There is no room for rest in such a system for we must keep performing or lose our sense of being. The end of is weariness...agonizing weariness.
Jesus calls us to a rest for our souls...an internal rest that ceases searching for meaning and identity by our own feeble efforts. As we come into Him we find a peace in our hearts and a rest for our souls. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Scripture to Claim:
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. – Psalm 62:1-2
