Give Me Rest

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
–Matthew 11:28


As I write this, I am mere feet from the lapping waves of Lake Michigan. My bench is a large driftwood log lodged with sand. There is no one else around, like I have slipped off the radar to nestle myself in a quiet nook on the shore. A steady rhythm taps against the tiny rocks, smooth with years of washing by the water. Wisps of clouds hang in the azure sky, mirroring the sparkle of the lake with a shimmer of its own. I am kissed by the breeze, which runs renewing fingers through my hair. After suffocating weeks of strained sleep and an ever-running mind, for the first time I am full of peace, drifting in the soothing salve of restoration.

I have taken on too much, cramming every spare minute with some activity, some appointment, something to take the place of just laying still with God. I thought I could fit Him in when I had time, then marveled at the realization that I found no more time to give. Each night I’d burn my lamp into the early morning hours, contemplating whether I was doing enough for Him or if I’ve been falling into a selfish timetable. The more I slammed into my schedule, the emptier I felt inside. I was a caffeinated, chocolate-addicted ticking time bomb who couldn’t even arrange her prayers into coherent sentences. I made a mess of myself and had no idea how to clean up.

I was to meet a friend for a photography adventure, but at the last second it had to be rescheduled. I went to the spot we were to shoot at anyway, just feeling like I should. As I drove to my God spot, I felt a calm come over me. It grew stronger as I stepped onto the wooden footbridge beckoning me into the nature preserve and I admired the budding trees overhead. The sky blazed a trail of clouds to the bluff, where I sat cross legged and pasted my gaze to the lake, which sang out its welcome to me. For a time I couldn’t think, couldn’t blink, couldn’t form proper praise. I just breathed, “Thank You.” Because in the ten minutes I’d been there, He filled me with such wonder and rejuvenation the past weeks washed away like the sand beneath the waves. Peace. His peace. What a gift.

And so here is where you find me- still in this special spot, secluded and serenaded by the God of my fathers, Who was, always is, and is to come.

Rest in Him, too, Beloved. We weren’t meant for chaos and hectic hearts. We were made for whispers and stolen, secret moments with our Love in this great romance.


Prayer:
Father, thank You for this fleeting moment, let it last beyond this day into the weeks and months ahead. In You I am recharged, in this tranquil moment You give rebirth to my shriveling heart. Create in me a soothed soul, that I may feel Your peace always. Amen.