Rest #10: Calgon, Take me Away!!

We all need to escape and recharge -- some more than others, some more often than others! What about you?

Matt 11:29c “You will find REST for your souls”

When I was growing up, there was a commercial for Calgon bubble bath in which harried mom escaped the chaos and demands of her life and family in a nice, hot bubble bath. As she sunk into the water, her countenance immediately changed and calm overtook her and she was instantly transported in her mind to a beautiful beach. (Hence the tagline, 'Calgon, take me away!') The power of a box of suds! While I do love a nice soak in a hot bath, that kind of peace and calm only lasts as long as the water stays hot! And yet, we so desperately crave and actually NEED to learn to rest.

Jesus promised just that. Notice that He did not say rest for our spirit, but our SOUL. What is that? This word in the Greek is “psuche”which means the mind, will, emotions. And remember, that 'rest' is not absence of activity, but 'refreshing'. So we have here the promise of relief, refreshing, calm for a mind full of worried, frantic thoughts….for a will that is consumed with ambition…for emotions that are a complete mess….These are the topic of countless self-help books and counseling sessions. They can range from distracting to paralyzing.

God knew we would deal with this. Remember that upon salvation, it is our spirit that is born-again (Ezek 36:26; John 3:3-7; 2 Cor 5:17). Our soul and body are not. Our soul undergoes a life-long process of transformation called ‘sanctification’, in which we are gradually transformed into the image of Christ through the Word and the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18; Phil 1:6). Our body has to wait until we get a new body (Phil 3:21; 1 Cor 15:50-17)!

So when and how do we find this seemingly elusive rest for our souls? Go back to the beginning of this invitation and you will see God’s process. 1) Come to Jesus with the intent of following Him as Savior; 2) Join yourself to Him in intimate discipleship relationship as Lord; 3) Learn from Him through the Word, prayer…abiding in the Word and in Christ every day. THEN you will FIND rest for your soul.

Rest for our soul is a result, a benefit, of our relationship with God – not a goal in and of itself. It is a process. There is no stated time frame. We cannot execute steps 1-3 and stand there with our hands out waiting for an automatic, instant reward. This is relationship. This is process.

Consider that “In His presence is fullness of joy” (Ps 16:11). “The joy of the Lord is my strength”(Neh 8:10). Even though in one sense we are ALWAYS in His presence because He does abide in us and we in Him (John 15:4), there is also a more intentional entering into His presence that these verses are referencing. There are blocks of time we set apart for this purpose of communing with Him, and there is also His sweet presence we acknowledge as we go about our day. Just ‘being’ with Him – not to receive anything. Just to enjoy His presence as He enjoys ours (Song of Solomon 7:10-12).

Jesus really IS the answer to everything. We have complicated things so much with our programs and our steps to this and secrets to that. God already has a process. We don’t have to invent one ourselves.

The problem is, God’s answer is either too simple (it can’t be this easy!), or it is too painful to our flesh (e.g., I have to love and pray for my enemy???). But in the end, if we want God’s promised result, we must submit to God’s outlined process – whether it is forgiveness/peace, or freedom from anxiety, or any other thing you can name!

So let’s stop looking for rest and start looking for Jesus.