When we are children we never want to slow down and rest. As adults, the opposite is true. We can never seem to find the time and right circumstances to truly rest. We drag ourselves into work each day and give the job our best efforts. Then we come home to give our hearts to another set of needs. Weekends and vacations help, but the rest derived from these soon dissipates in the rush of daily lives. A good bed helps, but we don’t get to spend enough time there. And when we do get to bed, our anxieties keep us awake.
Part of the problem is that all this busyness and effort reflect our desire to prove we are good enough. Good enough to earn a good living and promotions on the job. Good enough to have a healthy and successful family. Good enough to be respected in the community. And good enough to earn God’s favor.
The problem with trying to be good enough is that the standard for “good enough” has never been defined for us. We give our best efforts but still don’t know if we ever cross the line into “good enough”. Thankfully it doesn’t work that way with God. We can never be “good enough” to earn God’s favor. His standard is perfect holiness. No one can ever be perfectly holy outside of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Fortunately, God made a way for us to cross the line into “good enough”. But our good works are of no use. Instead we must enter into a relationship with God by confessing our limitations (sins) and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for salvation and redemption. When we have done that, we enter God’s rest. Hebrews 4:9-10 says, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
Find real rest in the security of knowing God and spending eternity with Him.
Reluctant Retiree 