And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2
What does the week before your summer vacation look like? Is it peaceful anticipation of some time away from your usual routines? Um … yeah, I didn’t think so. All too often it is full of extra meetings, a flurry of activity to tie up loose ends, connecting with others who (you hope) will fill in for your absence, and all this in addition to preparing the family for your restful, tranquil, refreshing time away. And what of the vacation itself? Do you find rest, tranquility, and refreshment whilst away, or do you find that you need a vacation from your vacation? I can remember one of our family spring break vacations going something like this: 21 hour drive to Florida, set up for camping, daily shopping for and preparation of meals over camp fire, five active children (enough said), 20 miles from a tornado and zero miles from torrential record breaking rainfall (and by camping I mean tent camping), dry out bedding and clothing and ourselves at the beach next day, sun burn maintenance rest of week, lost child, sciatica, nearly stepping on an alligator on a late night trip to the rest room, and then … 21 hours of driving back to home sweet home. As wonderful as vacations are, restful they are not – at least for the parents!
Maybe the key is to find peace and rest in daily life. We have many modern product and services to save time and ease burdens, yet so many of us remain burned out and restless. All these time savers and yet never enough time leaving many to claim, “I always feel like I am too busy to stop and rest.” How about the couch potato, has he found the key to rest? Truth is the one who tries to find rest and peace through activity is not unlike the one trying to find it in inactivity: both are missing the source and perspective needed for true rest.
It is not an accident that God rested on the seventh day. He completed his work of creation and thus entered rest. He created rest, and He created His image-bearers for rest. Sadly, our sin has interrupted this. We now seem to either pursue rest to the point of laziness, or we refuse rest to the point of exhaustion. Thankfully, God not only completed his work of creation, he also has completed the place of our rest – in himself and in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:28
Jesus offers us rest from spiritual striving, and he calls us to find lasting rest and pure satisfaction in him. When our trust is in Jesus and the gospel, it grants us a totally new viewpoint. Jared Wilson says it like this:
If I don’t believe the gospel, I will miss out on the joy of the it-ness of things. I will be looking to these things as drugs, as appetite-fillers, as fulfillers, as powers, as gods, as worshipers of the god of myself . . . If steak or wine or coffee or chocolate or anything else other than God is the highlight of my day or the ultimate joy of my heart, my joy is temporary, hollow, thin, But if I believe in the gospel, I can finally enjoy the chocolate-ness of chocolate and the coffee-ness of coffee. Only the gospel frees me to enjoy things as they truly now are and as they someday will be.
I do hope that if you are vacationing this summer that you have a wonderful time. Enjoy God’s creation! However, know that true rest is only found in Jesus; and knowing this frees us to truly enjoy all the things he gives us!
Much love,
Pastor Gary