I Need Rest!!!

"It'll be fun!" they said.

"It's a day off."

"You'll be able to rest and store up energy for the coming weekend."

Well, I hate to break it to you but the only part that proved to be true was the first quote. You see, this past Thursday was a day that we didn't have to preach. There are several reasons for this break (allowing church members time to prepare for the weekend, pastors to take the time to visit with those visiting the church, etc.) but one reason ERC was to give the preachers time to breath. We may be spending a quarter of our days staring at a computer screen but that doesn't mean that we're not tired each night we climb into bed around 11:00 pm or 12:00 am and then wake at 6:30 am (all depending on the person of course.)

Great, I thought to myself when I heard that we would have a night off. As the week wore on, I was certainly loosing my energy of ministry that those who know me best realize only happens when I'm truly exhausted. Sure, we had to wake up early to be on the bus, and it was going to be a long drive, but it'd be perfect. So as the clock struck 7:00-ish, Brazilian time remember, off our little bus (that had wifi!!!) went down the road.

 After a long car ride, we arrive at a beach where we walked in literal circles for a while (no joke) and then finally went into an area where you could see different types of sea creatures. Next we played in the ocean, ate lunch, then went shopping at an outlet (pronounced out-lech-ee) which wasn't much different from the outlet stores in America (but fun none the less.) We arrived back at the hotel at 8:00 pm and by 11:00 pm, I laid my head on my pillow and fell asleep.

Looking back, we really didn't do all that much. It was a pretty chill day (minus the Heads Up played as we drove home) so shouldn't I have felt rested and refreshed today? Yeah, so not the case! Literally from the moment I opened my eyes until I took a 15 minute nap, I felt like there was no way I was going to be able to get through the day and preach this evening. I'm a quiet person to begin with but when I'm tired, forget about me socializing! It just doesn't happen without me putting forth a ton of effort. This "restful" day proved to be just the opposite! Yes, it was lots of fun but the entire group ended up more tired than when we started.

Isn't that how Satan works? He tells us he can give us rest and relaxation; no more rules and regulations. His offer looks and sounds promising, everything we could ever imagine! But by the time he gets done with us, we end up so much more broken than when we started. It may have been fun while it lasted but now all we want is to lay these burdens down. Yet instead of turning to the Life Giver, we listen to Satan once again as he entices us once again to fall back into his empty road of sorrow. It never satisfies and never offers peace. And because we live in a sinful world, even the times we don't follow Satan can still lead to weariness.

But Jesus has a wonderful promise in Matthew 11:28 saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. When we realized that chasing after this world only leaves us worn out and that only God can give us true rest, our lives can completely change! There a peace that God brings that is not affected by the things happening around us, no matter how tired we may feel. One of my favorite songs is Worn by Tenth Avenue North and really describes the cry of our hearts. So if you feel exhausted and tired, realize that God's waiting to bring rest into your life. Will you never feel worn out again? No, I'm sure you will feel that way sometimes but He can bring a peace that fills our every being even when we feel as though there's no way we can go on.