Living in a city like Hong Kong, it’s safe to assume that you deal with varying levels of stress on a daily basis (maybe even in your sleep).
For me personally, the worst kind of stress is the invisible kind. It’s not the end of the world if I’m physically exhausted after a long day of running around doing stuff. I’ll just sleep really well that night. But what can be harder to recover from are things like emotional fatigue or being mentally drained after having really long and difficult conversations with no clear resolution to the “problem” in sight. Those kinds of things stick with you a bit longer and are harder to shake off.
So where can you go to get some true rest?
True rest can only be found in the Lord
The world has lots of opinions on this. You can go to retreats, holidays, spas, or just generally treat yourself to something you enjoy because you need to look after yourself. I definitely have done all of these things and enjoyed them a lot. But ultimately, these are very temporary fixes that don’t really solve anything in the long haul.
In Hebrews 4-5, we are reminded of many wonderful – and also confronting – truths. Two points particularly stick with me when reading these chapters:
• True rest can only be found in the Lord and by listening to his word.
• Jesus is the “word” from God by which we can enter his rest.
This really helps to reshape my understanding of what “rest” means. Rather than looking to take care of myself, I should be looking away from myself and toward Jesus. By forgetting myself and not dwelling on my problems, I’m able to shift my perspective and find comfort in the answer to all things. When it comes to what I find most stressful, the source can be traced back to sin. The sin in other people results in challenging situations that cause me pain. The sin in my own heart results in my actions causing damage to others.
The good news is that there is a solution to all of this. God has provided a way to deal with sin by sending us Jesus Christ as the perfect high priest “to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin” (Hebrews 5:1). In moments when I feel overwhelmed, I adore running to his word. Sometimes, even confronting Bible passages is of great comfort to me because I need to be rebuked to stop my pity party. It helps me look to Jesus – who has forgiven me – so that I can forgive others who wronged me. It leads me to repentance when I am the wrongdoer and need to seek grace and growth in character.
What is stressing you out in this season of your life? Are you finding rest in temporary fixes that give you immediate gratification, or are you tackling the source of your stress? Let’s strive to enter God’s rest and ask him to help us in our moments of need.
