Not My Own

Rest
I have a very hard time shutting down my mind. When I lay in bed at night, my mind races with conversations from the day, songs I’ve heard, or to-do lists that still need to be checked off. It’s not difficult to have some time to be physically still, but to be mentally still is another story. My husband and I just came back from a mini vacation. Three simple days alone in Mexico, where something amazing happened – rest! I didn’t get many extra hours of sleep (in fact I didn’t sleep well at all!), I didn’t even visit the spa, but I experienced a lot of rest and relaxation. Maybe it was the hypnotic waves, perhaps the fresh sea air, or simply the fact that I had no schedule to keep and no one to look after, but my mind was completely at peace and thus I was able to truly rest. Constant physical activity can make one very tired, but constant mental activity can be deadly. We need to find a way to quiet our minds to find true rest. When Jesus says, “come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest,” I think what he is really saying is, “come give me everything that is on your mind and I will take care of it so that you can be at peace and rest.” A quiet mind produces incredible rest where 3 days on vacation feels like 13! We are restored, renewed and rested.