Rest and how to implement it in our lives consistently is a journey. The last few years have been simultaneously some of the most challenging and restful years of my life.
A life of intentional rest builds resilience. It doesn’t mean that life is easy. It doesn’t mean that the challenges aren’t there, but it means that we are better equipped to handle them. There are three distinct areas of my journey to rest that are deeply rooted in my faith.
Follow His Leading
Part of my journey to rest has been learning how to follow God’s leading. In my work life, I have often held leadership or management roles. If I didn’t start with them, I worked my way up to them. I am a driven person who likes to be in control. This can mean I come up with an idea. Next, I make a plan. Finally, I head off in a direction to achieve it. I sometimes forget to consult God in the process. Then I wonder why something feels off.
I have learned to stop. To breathe. To read the Bible. To spend time with God. To consult wise leadership whom I trust. I have learned to follow his leading, because if it isn’t God’s leading, it isn’t for me.
Learn From Him
One of my favourite verses in the bible is Matthew 11:29, which reads
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.
This verse creates an incredible picture for me of what it is to learn from Jesus. To walk with him, in step, to share our burdens, our load, our work, and our life. This is what it means to truly learn from him. He is gentle and humble. He is the only way we can genuinely approach our lives from a place of rest. From that place of rest, everything else flows.
Lean on Him – Trust his Guidance
Fully leaning on God and trusting his guidance along the way has been the most difficult one for me. There are many things in life I don’t understand, and many questions that I have. I have experienced divorce, infertility, health problems, and redundancy, both myself and my husband. One thing I know is that his character is not dependent on my circumstances, and he is always faithful.
A few years ago, my husband and I felt that God had told us our next season was in the country. When I dreamed of this next season, I envisioned rural. No neighbours, paddocks for miles, total solitude. We didn’t renew our lease and started looking for a place. Little did we know it was the middle of a rental crisis. We starting loking and applying for houses. Months went by; the move-out date was looming, the old house was leased, and we had nowhere to go. I didn’t understand. If this was God’s plan, why didn’t we have a house?
We ended up living at my parents’ house, three cats, one dog, and one almost-married daughter. I was so angry with God. I just didn’t get it. It felt as though we had been obedient, and God didn’t do his bit. Someone prayed over us and told us that the house we would get would be more than we could even dream or imagine. I was so jaded, I just couldn’t see it. I was beyond frustrated, and I couldn’t even find a way to imagine what that might look like. We looked at a house; it was tiny, with all the bedrooms coming off the lounge room. It had no shed, carport, or storage of any kind. It was not rural; it was in a town with a mildly country feel. We applied, and the land agent said we had the house.
I was so incredibly desperate that I typed out an email to accept the house. Before I pressed send, I discussed it with my family. My daughter in particular challenged me about the words that had been spoken over us and if I was truly trusting God. So I deleted the email, turned down the house, and surrended control of the jounrey back to God. A week later, we received a call to meet with the owners of our current home, a beautiful three-bedroom house situated on 20 acres in the middle of nowhere. Heading into our fourth year, it is the most beautiful haven for us. Every single time I pull up to the gate, I feel a sense of peace.
Due to my inability to trust God when the plan wasn’t unfolding the way I thought it should, we almost missed out on a house that is truly more than we could have asked, dreamed of, or imagined. I nearly said yes to something that was not for us because I thought I knew better.
True rest means being able to follow His leading, learn from Him, and lean on him. Even when it doesn’t look as though the outcome is good. Even when things are hard. Rest is a journey; it is daily walking in step with Jesus. True rest means knowing we don’t have to control every single moment, we can safely rest in him.
Article supplied with thanks to Lorrene McClymont.
About the Author: Lorrene McClymont is a writer and photographer from Hope Images. On her blog ‘Moments to Rest’, she shares about rest, faith, and family.
Feature image: Canva
