Real Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 NRSV

At 6:45 this morning, driving back from an overnight sleep study, all I could think of was this passage and the promise of rest.  If you've ever had a sleep study taken before, you know that the word 'sleep' in the title is misleading.  The staff at the sleep center was amazing, kind and patient, and I have absolutely no complaints about how I was treated, and the room and accomodations couldn't have been better.  I am certain if I hadn't been hooked up to dozens of wires, electrodes and sensors, I would have had a wonderful sleep.  In any case, it was important for them to check out some things, and it seems thay got some important information out of it all. Needless to say, I am very tired this morning.

The idea of rest sounds beautiful to my ears today, but then Jesus invitation to come to him for rest sounds beautiful all the time.  This gentle beckoning to rest means more than 8 full hours on my sleep-number bed.  His invitation is to hand over our burdens to him.  Do we have concerns and worries that are weighing us down?  Do we have financial burdens that are heavy?  Are our physical ailments making us weary?  Jesus calls us to him to find rest. 

My favorite poet, David Whyte, indicates that the solution for burnout is not simply rest, but purposefulness. Being involved with something that has meaning, that has purpose is renewing and refreshing.  In our society, the trend is to just keep pushing through whatever is ailing us, to keep working even when we're too sick to be around others; to keep plodding on and keep on moving;  to forge ahead without evaluating whether what we are doing is good for us. 

Jesus, in contrast, welcomes us to come and sit by him for a while. "Come," he says. "Come and lay the worries about your family down.  Hand them over to me.  Come and give me the concerns about your health...I will treat them with care. Come and rest by my side, and I will keep watch.  Come and sit with me a while and we'll talk about what is meaningful for you, and what your purpose is here." 

Whatever rest you need today, whether a nap, or frreedom from fear and frustration, or direction...I invite us all to hear Jesus' calling to "Come".  We will find rest in him.

God of the Sabbath, you have made rest a part of creation and time, and yet we have not paid attention for ourselves or others. Help us today to find that delicious rest that Jesus alone can give. Help us to come to him, and receive what he has to give to us. Amen.