As I’m writing this Momentum Article, I’m just hours away from getting in a van and driving my family to Florida for a vacation. Please try and not be overly jealous. I hope you are able to experience some sort of rest and recharge this summer as well. Our family
has been traveling to the beach every summer since Mackenzie was born. She’s turning 18 in July! (What?!). My perfect day is spent staring into the ocean until I’m so hot that I just have to run into the water. I love to unplug and do whole lot of nothing during my vacation.
Where do you find rest? As much as I wish my summer vacation was the answer to my weariness, I know exactly what will happen. I will spend a week going from the pool to the beach relaxing and enjoying my family. I’ll take naps and watch movies. It will feel like rest, but then I’ll get back in the van and fight through 14 hours of traffic returning home. I’ll be exhausted and I’ll have forgotten all about the rest and relaxation I was experiencing just days ago.
Truth is, as much as we hope that some trip or adventure or nap will bring us the rest we crave, our only true rest comes from Jesus. The book of Matthew records Jesus’s words in Matthew 11:28 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
When we are feeling overwhelmed it’s not a vacation that will bring us ultimate rest, it’s Jesus. Our lives are becoming more and more hectic. It’s easy to find yourself exhausted and stretched way to thin. When’s the last time you spent real time just sitting and talking to your heavenly Father? In a recent sermon I talked about the effects that being exhausted can have on your attitude. I shared that I found myself needing to walk outside and breath, escaping a negative situation I had created. In that brief moment, all I really needed was to remove myself from everything and just talk to God.
Psalm 62 begins “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” There are so many options for us to look to seeking the rest we truly need. This Summer, I pray that you will recognize that our true rest is found in a good God who loves you. Rest comes from knowing your identity is found only in being a child of God. Your rest comes from putting your faith and hope in Jesus.
Our vacations are amazing. Time with family will be refreshing. But escaping life, without the presence of Jesus will not bring the peace you seek. Rest in Jesus!
Kevin Smith
Colerain Campus Pastor, White Oak Christian Church