His Rest
Author: Diane Head
Women's Devotional Bible
New International Version
Women's Devotional Bible
New International Version
Matthew 11:28 Matthew 11:25-30
Do you ever feel as though you have nothing to give? That so many demands are made of you that you've become depleted..empty..exhausted?
Do you have an automatic signal when your posterior hits the bottom of a chair-immediately a voice from the furthest room in the house calls "MOTHER..." as if the house were on fire?
If you answered a hearty "amen" to the above, congratulations. You're a bonafide member of twentieth-century motherhood. One of the conditions of membership is that you exchange your calm and orderly life for upheaval, busyness and whirlwind activity.
We entered motherhood so early-babes in our arms and stars in our eyes. So cuddly and cute, these wee ones took hold of our hearts and lives. We didn't know the gentle thump, thump, thump of their hearts was the ticking of a time bomb ready to explode with the energy of an atomic bomb at any minute. As parents, we are the managers and harnesses of this energy, so we fill our days with clever schemes and fancy plans to keep our children occupied. Soon we find ourselves caught in the great car pool of life. We pick up and drop off miniballerinas, soccer players, piano virtuoso, and future NFL champions until life is little more then a blur.
If ever anyone needed rest, it's today's mother. And I have great news. There is rest for us-a rest more rejuvenating than a long and leisurely nap, and more soothing to frayed nerves then a Brahms concert. This rest reaches into the depths of our souls and claims us from within.
This special promise of rest comes from Jesus' words in Matthew 11:29:"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me...and you will find rest." The yoke spoken of in this passage is fashioned of discipline and discipleship; its lining is love. Rather than bringing restriction, it brings refreshment. Through this yoke he calls us to learn of himself and find quietness and blessed rest.
Rest for the soul is the most desirable rest. It affects not only our spiritual health but our emotional and physical health as well. The only way to receive this rest is to sit at Christ's feet and hear his word, to take the time to learn more about who he is and what he is like.
We entered motherhood so early-babes in our arms and stars in our eyes. So cuddly and cute, these wee ones took hold of our hearts and lives. We didn't know the gentle thump, thump, thump of their hearts was the ticking of a time bomb ready to explode with the energy of an atomic bomb at any minute. As parents, we are the managers and harnesses of this energy, so we fill our days with clever schemes and fancy plans to keep our children occupied. Soon we find ourselves caught in the great car pool of life. We pick up and drop off miniballerinas, soccer players, piano virtuoso, and future NFL champions until life is little more then a blur.
If ever anyone needed rest, it's today's mother. And I have great news. There is rest for us-a rest more rejuvenating than a long and leisurely nap, and more soothing to frayed nerves then a Brahms concert. This rest reaches into the depths of our souls and claims us from within.
This special promise of rest comes from Jesus' words in Matthew 11:29:"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me...and you will find rest." The yoke spoken of in this passage is fashioned of discipline and discipleship; its lining is love. Rather than bringing restriction, it brings refreshment. Through this yoke he calls us to learn of himself and find quietness and blessed rest.
Rest for the soul is the most desirable rest. It affects not only our spiritual health but our emotional and physical health as well. The only way to receive this rest is to sit at Christ's feet and hear his word, to take the time to learn more about who he is and what he is like.
Exodus 33:12-14, Mark 6:30-31
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