This weekend has traditionally for so many become the start of summer
- people consider a more leisurely pace
- some start their gardens
- others drive up to cottages or even open them for the first time
The routine becomes different and for many the desire for Rest become paramount.
But what really is Rest - what does it actually mean and what can we gain from really resting ! - because it is important to know the difference...so that we don’t bet all we have on a rest that really is not what it is about.....
Rest is the God-given capacity to have peace, even when the circumstance that would burden your heart is not resolved.
In the Letter of John (Our 2nd Reading this weekend at Mass) tells us - “Who ever does not know Love does not know God”
- God is the source - He is the source of Love, He is also the source of Rest
- to rest means to entrust our selves to the source - the source is God
The Actos of the Apostles (Our first reading) invites us to take in ...to take in what God has done for us, is doing for us,“The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are poured out...”
- when was the last occasion you took some time (in rest) to see where God‘s spirit has been at work in your life
- so often we become so busy in our lives - doing, achieving, accomplishing, fulfilling
- then a long weekend comes around and we say I will rest - and for us it means collapse
- we sleep it off, cool it off, ....which is fine and good
= but how about reflect it off
- ask - where was God in that doing, achieving, accomplishing, fulfilling
- if He wasn’t there - was it really necessary..would we do it again..would we sacrifice time with a growing child, a needy teenager, a cherished spouse, an aging parent to do it all again ?
Part of resting...true resting...is evaluating...with the source in mind !
Do you know that in Scripture near to every task that Jesus did, every action that God performed, every moment of the prophets or gesture of the saints....the follow up was always...REST
They achieved, accomplished, fulfilled - But then true REST - founded on trust, wait and reflecting in the Lord - followed up.
Rest is best understood as “peace without resolution,”
- its taking time - even if the answer does not come - to just reflect and evaluate how things are and if we are on the right track in my life.
- I don’t know if you can relate to this - but sometimes I get so busy in my resting.....that I actually fail to relax
- resting does not mean replacing
- replacing work at office with work at home
- replacing stress/conflict with the friends with stress/conflict with the family
- replacing activity with myself with activity with others
Rest means - seeking peace without resolution..peace in my heart without doing in my life ..and that comes if I know I am on the right track
- and here is the thing - it then develops into peace with family, friend and faith
I rest in the fact that if I take the time to ask Him - am I on the right track, are my priorities yours for me, are my goals what you want for me..I am willing to then bet all I have because..I not only know rest, but peace....I have asked Him......
- Ok - so here is what I want you to do - and this is demanding - this long weekend - GET SOME REST.... but real rest - get some peace without resolution, and it is a wonderful experience
Some Scripture to this about.......
Rest is the God-given capacity to have peace, even when the circumstance that would burden your heart is not resolved.
Psalm 37:3-7, “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness . . . Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.”
Psalm 37 is the 8th-longest Psalm in Scripture. Unusually, for one of David’s psalms, it is directed not to God, but to His people. It follows no logical progression, as it was originally 44 verses—two for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In other words, it is an acrostic poem.
The theme is trusting God during a season of perceived injustice. Next to almost every verse you could write one of three words: trust, wait, or rest. Rest is best understood as “peace without resolution,” and I am not ashamed to admit I have experienced way too little of that in my life. For that reason I have been poring over Psalm 37, praying for understanding as to how that promised rest (Matthew 11:28-30) is experienced. My study and meditation on Psalm 37 has yielded this single insight which has been incredibly impacting for me.
Trust without Waiting = Striving. I have done too much of that. Proverbs 20:3, “It is good that a man should stop striving.”
Waiting without Trusting = Worrying. I have done too much of that. Matthew 6:25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life.”
Trusting + Waiting = Rest. I trust that God will work for my good. I have done what I know to do, and now I must wait for Him. I am at rest! I have peace without resolution, and it is a wonderful experience for which I thank the Lord.
Are you Resting Yet ?