Rest Beside the Weary Road...

Have you ever felt like you wanted to shout “stop world, let me off!?” Most likely you have, yet it seems like a very difficult thing to do. We are rushing and hurrying everywhere, running to and fro, and for what? Do we need to work all of those hours? Is it necessary to run ourselves ragged so we can have all of the latest trinkets of this earth? There is nothing wrong with hard work, having money and things in and of itself, but what has happened that so many of us are always so tired, harried and frustrated?

Could it be that this is one way that the enemy of our souls attacks us? Maybe he sees that he cannot get us to commit some mortal sin; he knows we won’t murder or rob a bank. But, could his strategy be to get us so busy with the mundane tasks of life, with the ever pressing reality of modern America to have more and more money to buy more and more things so that we will slowly die spiritually?

Perhaps, this Christmas, it is time to remind ourselves, that the reason we are on this earth, is not to possess more things, it is not to be so busy that we have no time for thought and meditation, but, instead, that we might know, love, enjoy and glorify Jesus Christ, our Savior. He said in John 10:10 that He came that we might have life and that it would be abundant life! This abundant life comes only by resting in Him, and leaving our sins, cares and burdens at the cross.

We may find it necessary to leave off some things…perhaps we won’t be able to have a decorated home that looks like it came out of Better Homes and Gardens. Perhaps we will find it necessary to forgo some of our other Christmas "traditions" in order to have more time to move in the rest that Christ came to bring.

But, if we can enjoy a Christmas basking in His presence, what could possibly be better? After all, isn’t HE the reason we celebrate? He came to provide rest for our souls; rest from our sins, rest from the cares of this life, rest from fear and doubt. Perhaps we should try and fill our Christmas season with more meaningful activities which start, first and foremost with just spending time with Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 that we should come unto Him and find rest for our souls. We can never find rest in the material things of this world. We can never find rest in anything which takes His place. What can we do, in order to experience the fullness of resting in Him?

“And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose form is bending low, who toil along the climbing way with painful step and slow. Look up, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing. Oh rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!”