Restful Presence

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

In our Zoom youth gathering the past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at the twenty-third Psalm. This has caused me to reflect on the biblical notion of rest. In this Psalm of David, God’s promise is to lead us to green pastures and still waters. In this passage in from Matthew, Jesus’ promise is to give us rest.

This season of social distancing has provided a unique opportunity for my family to review our normal life rhythms. With two premier level soccer players, we often have soccer practice for someone every weeknight Monday through Thursday. There are also games on the weekends, sometimes requiring travel. I’m working on my doctorate, which has its own set of rhythms each semester.

While some of our “busyness” is beyond the norm, I’m convinced we are typical of many families. You might assume I’m going to report the kids have decided to stop playing soccer. Quite the opposite has occurred, as we’ve discussed this busyness, the kids have acknowledged it has been nice to have a break, but they look forward to when they’ll be able to start playing soccer again.

However, this season has given us new perspective. It has caused us to reflect on our “busyness” and ask how we can be more intentional. More intentional in taking time to stop and rest. More intentional about having an evening meal together, or going on walks as a family, or breaking out a game and playing together. I know some families are better at this than us, but I confess I want us to do better.

No matter what this season has been like for you and your family. Even if you are empty nesters or living alone. I hope we can be intentional in this unplanned season of a different pace. I hope we can reflect on what Jesus’ offer of rest looks like in our normal life rhythms. I know at least for me, when this season of social distancing is over, I will look at our “busyness” in a different light.

Will you pray with me?

Lord help us to recognize your yoke is easy, and your burden is light. Help us to shed the things that we carry, that are a burden to us, which are unnecessary in our lives. Help us to find faithful balance in the activities we feel you’ve called us to. Be with families who are stressed, for whom this season has been anything but restful. Also, be with those who have lost their jobs. Help us to be intentional to build rhythms of rest into our normal routines. May this weird season be a time when we can especially focus on your restful presence in our lives.

Pastor Shawn