Rest--it's actually good for us!

I was going through the book of Hebrews the other day since our church has just finished a series on it.  Something I read struck me as ironic
the more I thought about it.  In chapter 4, it tells to “Make every effort to enter God’s rest.”  Make an effort to enter His rest? I think of effort and rest as opposites.  So why would we need to make an effort to enter God’s rest? 

Maybe it’s because of our nature. Or our society.  These days we often feel like we have to achieve, to produce, to accomplish something in order to make good use of our time.  There are so many things to do, so many things we worry about, and so much we get wrapped up in that we can’t rest. 

The message in church this weekend was on the Sabbath, on rest and why it’s important in our lives. God created us to work AND to rest.  That we were made to do both. Rest is not the same as laziness.  Instead, it enables us to work better and more productively. So there must be a way to strike a balance. 

The answer might be found in Hebrews earlier, in chapter 3. The author tells us to “fix [our] eyes on Jesus, our high priest”. But maybe if we fixed our eyes (our focus) on Jesus then we could enter his rest.  Maybe it means shifting priorities. 

How about you? Do you find it hard to rest in your life?  What suggestions would you share to help others work to find the rest we need?  Don’t forget to join the conversation.