As much as I love the beach I tend to sit under an umbrella or in the water. Saturday afternoon when we arrived and unloaded we were all tired. We headed to the beach and it was hot. The heat was intense! After a long swim in what felt like bath water, I headed for shade. There were lounge chairs under palm trees that looked and felt 10 degrees cooler! I was hot, tired and thinking about things I left behind.
As soon as I lied down and got still I felt the cool breeze refresh my skin. I could hear the palms dancing in the breeze. I could hear the ocean waves crashing. I could feel my body, mind and spirit calm down. Matthew 11: 28-30 came to mind. “Come to me, all you 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 easy and my burden is light."
Jesus is the source of our rest. Without Him we will always be weary from striving to do things by our own strength. Jesus offers himself as the solution to our burdens.
If we believe in Him, will we trust Him? We believe that our burdens will be addressed but we do not know when. Jesus does not tell us when or how. Proverbs 3: 5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..." He just wants us to trust Him that He will take care of things. 1 Peter 5: 7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." He keeps His promise to us to do what is best for us.
God furnished everything I needed including a palm tree. Isaiah 4: 6, "There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat,..." As my spirit rested I found myself spending time with Him.
Isaiah 25: 4, "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall."
When we say we are weary we are being vulnerable which we need to accept grace. Jesus tells us to "Come to me..." He does not extend that invitation only to those who are perfect, those who have it all together, etc. He calls us all - the weary, the broken, the tired. When we are vulnerable and come seeking, Jesus can do His work. We carry unnecessary burdens in life. We are not meant to carry these alone. Jesus wants to carry them for us. He calls us to cast them upon Him because His burden is light.
Psalm 91: 1-2, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'”
Let's find the rest and freedom that we so desperately crave. It is there for the asking.
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