September 5, 2022
Aroused by the calls for “Mommy” from the room next door, I awoke and sat up on the couch from my much-needed power nap. Quietly, I walked to the next room and changed my son’s diaper and whispered to him, “Quiet time is not over yet.” After rocking him in my arms for several minutes, I settled him snugly back in his crib and then softly shut the door behind me.
I headed to the kitchen and routinely started the afternoon coffee for my husband and me. While the afternoon coffee brewed next to me on the counter, I pulled out my phone and snapped several candid shots of one of the hardest working spots in my house, my oven.
There is nothing glorious about this spot in my house, yet it is one of the happiest spots. I love my collected plates, baskets, and teapot, all symbolic of the farmhouse style of the past. I am certainly no farmhouse cook, but every day healthy (and sometimes less-than-healthy) meals are prepared for my family in this little area.
On this Labor Day, I pause to reflect on the opposite of labor—rest. What does it mean to rest? It means to cease, to stop. In a spiritual sense, it means to trust and abide in what we know to be true of God.
In our culture of doing, we are constantly pushed and encouraged to do more. While we must be busy doing what God expects of us, we can get caught up in unnecessary busyness.
Jesus calls us to rest.
He calls us to rest in Him, and nothing else.
Mt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus alone can give us the rest that we need.
God wants us only to carry the burdens that He places in our lives, nothing else.
Mt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Are you carrying too much? Have you placed unnecessary burdens on yourself?
I struggle with very low energy, a struggle that has been present all my life. There is no medical reason that I know of for my low energy, and yet this lack of physical endurance is a yoke that God has placed on my life. I am learning to quietly accept God’s yoke in my life which makes me seriously ponder the work that I do. Is my work helping my family and pleasing God? If not, it is busyness, and I must set busyness to the side.
God's yoke is not burdensome.
Mt 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
God’s will for my life is often much gentler and kinder than my will for myself. I am much harder on myself than God has been on me. God’s yoke is bearable with Him.
I hope that this Labor Day you have taken some time to rest physically and also taken some time to spend quietly with God. God can fill your soul and give your heart the rest that you crave.
-Ashley
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