And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31, ESV)

Life can be exhausting. Going to work every day, raising and teaching our children, doing our daily chores, caring for elderly parents, serving the church, and even taking a break for extracurricular activities or our hobbies can lead to us over scheduling ourselves to the point we grow weary and tired. In fact, overcommitting ourselves is a primary cause of weariness among Christians.

Jesus often scheduled times of rest and even directed His disciples to rest. The Bible also instructs God’s people to rest and is a repeated theme throughout Scripture. And because rest does not come easily for us, we must discipline ourselves in resting. Paul once wrote, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9, ESV) For the Christian, if we are to press on and continue to do the good work Christ has called us to, we must also find time to rest and realize that the ultimate rest is found in Christ Himself.

Jesus invites the Christian to come to Him and cast his or her burdens on Him. (Matthew 11:28) It is in this that Jesus cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) It is only in Christ that we can find perfect rest from the weight of life and our own self-effort. It is in Jesus that we find complete rest spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is because of Jesus that we can rest from our laboring and find restoration of the soul. It is Jesus who says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, ESV) Will you today pray for the true rest and restoration that can only come from the one who loves and cares for you most?